Glass. 



Book_J I E 



EXHORTATIONS 

AND 

SEBMONS 

FOE, AIL THE 

SUNDAYS AND FESTIVALS OF THE YEAK, 

ON THE SACKED MTSTEEI.E S 

AND 

MOST IMPORTANT TRUTHS OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 



BT THE EEY. JOSEPH MOBONY, SJ. 

M 



" Blessed are they that hear the "Word of God and keep it."— 8t. Luke. 



DUBLIN : 

JAMES DUFFY and SONS, 15 WELLINGTON QUAY, 

AND 

1a, Paternoster Row, London. 




m 

f 
% 

ADVERTISEMENT. 



The publishers have very great pleasure in presenting to the 
public, in their own plain, native dress, unattended by any 
pomp or ornament of expression, but replete with impor- 
tant instructions and solid truths, adapted to the most 
common concerns of life, the Exhortations and Sermons of the 
Rev. Joseph Morony, S.J. It is hoped that every allowance 
will be made for a posthumous work of this kind, where 
only instruction and edification are aimed at — should, 
however, any be found who look for rhetorical flowers and 
beauties of diction in moral discourses, or who attend only 
to the arrangement and choice of words, and neglect the 
sense, it may not be improper to lay before them, with 
great submission, the following remarks, extracted from a 
much-admired work of the celebrated Abbe Grrou : — 

" To pay no attention to the nature of the things them- 
selves, and attend only to the beauty of the discourse ; or 
to suffer the mind to be dazzled with the arrangement of 
words, and to neglect the sense of them, is a defect that is 
but too common. This disposition of mind proceeds from 
an essential want of judgment ; for the expression is merely 
for the thought; the whole drift of it is to deliver the 
thought that it may pass through the organ of the senses 
into the minds of others. The greatest merit, therefore, of 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



any discourse, or of any composition, is in the thoughts 
being true, just, and solid, and in the arguments being 
conclusive ; and this is what the hearer or the reader 
should seek for, preferably to everything else. The style, 
the eloquence, and all that appertains to the art of speak- 
ing and of writing, should only be employed to represent 
the thought in its genuine light, and in its proper energy. 
What advantage accrues from a discourse that has purity 
of language, that is brilliant, pathetic, and figurative, if the 
substance be not solid, or if all that pomp only serves to 
paint and embellish falsehood ? On the other hand, what 
great harm results from a work which, though not written 
in perfection, is solid in thought and in sentiment ? I 
know that the perfection of a composition is the compound 
of these two things ; but in the choice there should be no 
hesitation ; and that which is well thought should always 
have precedence of that which is only well said. 

" The test, then, of good sense, depends on the attention 
that is paid to the substance of things. The contrary, 
however, is but too common, and even in matters where the 
mode of expression ought to be the least attended to 
Sermons, for example, the end of which is to instruct the 
people in the tenets of faith and in morals, cannot be too 
simple and familiar as to the expression, no more than 
they can be too solid and accurate as to the thought. The 
hearer should only esteem and value that which enlightens 
him, moves him, and excites him to goodness ; and this also 
is the sole object which the preacher ought to have in 
view. 

" Nevertheless, in what light are sermons considered 
now ? As discourses of parade, in which the preacher dis- 
plays his talents, and the auditor the delicacy of his taste. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



V 



A most shocking abuse, which vilifies and profanes a sub- 
lime and heavenly ministry, and renders it, at least useless, 
for the advantage of souls ! 

" How has this happened ? Is it owing to the preachers 
or to the hearers ? I do not know. But I know so far, 
that both the one and the other are in these times equally 
and almost universally corrupted ; that those seek only to 
please and not to convert ; whilst these have every other 
object in view besides that of being instructed, and of being 
excited to live better. 

" A good sermon is at present nothing more than a dis- 
course well divided and arranged ; full of affectation and a 
false brilliancy, both as to thought and style. Paul ! 
where art thou ? Why dost thou not fulminate against 
these unworthy ministers, and put to confusion those 
Christians who resort to churches to judge if a sermon be 
composed and delivered according to the rules of oratorial 
art ? Is it thus that the Athenians went to hear Demos- 
thenes on their political affairs, and did this orator study 
to please them more than to persuade them? Are the 
important interests of salvation of less moment than those 
of the State ? And if the pageantry of wit, or far-fetched 
thoughts, and of affected expressions, be absolutely unsea- 
sonable in every serious discourse, how much more so 
must it be in a Christian discourse ? 

" The cause of the evil is, that those who preach, as well 
as those who hear, have lost the idea of the evangelical 
ministry. For, did the preachers consider that they are 
ambassadors of the Most High, that they speak in the 
name of Jesus Christ, that they are commissioned to 
announce to men great truths — eternal truths — the only 
important truths, their sermons would be at once more 



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nervous and majestic. They would rise above human 
eloquence through a contempt of it ; they would persuade 
the minds — make deep impressions on the hearts of their 
hearers ; they would, in short, approve themselves worthy 
instruments of grace. 

" Did the hearers also reflect on what their duty obliges 
them to seek for in sermons, on the motives which should 
lead them on, on the disposition they should be in, and on 
the fruit which they ought to draw from these discourse?, 
they would forsake those stage- orators, those fine speakers, 
whom interest, vain-glory, and ambition induce to mount 
Christian pulpits, and they would flock with eagerness to 
the sermons that are simple, instructive, pathetic, and full 
of the unction of apostolic men. They would oblige those 
who are not so to become such, who, finding themselves 
abandoned, would either quit the sacred function which 
they dishonour or betake themselves to a worthy discharge 
of it. 

" Preachers, it is true, ought not to regard the depraved 
taste of their hearers. It belongs to them to give the 
law on the manner of preaching ; and they would always 
preach well if, with ordinary abilities, they endeavoured to 
instruct and to move ; if, in order to sanctify others, they 
began by sanctifying themselves; if they had no other 
views than such as become apostles ; and if their way of 
life proved that they were intimately penetrated with the 
truths which they deliver. They are, therefore, culpable 
when they subject themselves to their auditory, and when 
they sacrifice to a depraved judgment those sacred rules 
which religion, as well as sound sense and true taste, 
impose on them. 

" But the hearers themselves are not less blamable, either 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



Vll 



when they censure and despise solid and Christian 
preachers, who have not all the wit, all the agreeableness 
of figure, of voice, and of gesture, which they could wish ; 
or when they extol to the skies, and follow in crowds some 
certain orators who are hardly Christians, on account of 
their fine composition and pleasing delivery. 

" How prejudicial to religion is this rage of preferring, in 
sermons, frivolous and profane ornaments, to the noble and 
majestic simplicity of the Gospel ! Is it no longer the word 
of God that people hear, or that they are desirous of hear- 
ing, but the word of man ; nor yet is it the word of a man 
who handles those sublime matters with proper dignity, 
but of a vain, ambitious, and interested man, who prostitutes 
the sacred function in the display of his own abilities to 
advance in life and obtain worldly advantages. How 
shameful, how detestable is this profanation of the ministry 
of Jesus Christ ! What will he say at his Last Judgment 
to such preachers and to suoh hearers ? " 



CONTENTS. 



EXHORTATIONS. 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 

On Preparing the Way of the Lord, 

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 

On Fraternal Correction and Scandal, 

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 

On False and Erroneous Principles, 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 

On the Coming of the Messiah, 

THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. 

On the Nativity of Christ, 

, THE CIRCUMCISION. 

On the Circumcision, ,3 

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

On the Education of Children, 34 

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

On Matrimony, 

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

On the Spiritual Leprosy of Sin, 

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

On the Trials and Sufferings of the Just, . . . ' . 

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

On the Mercy and Justice of God, 

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

On the Christian Eeligion, 

SEPTUAGESIMA. 

On Idleness, 

SEXAGESIMA. 

On the Word of God, 

QUINQUAGESIMA. 

On Spiritual Blindness, 



X 



CONTENTS. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 

Page 

On Overcoming Temptations, 71 

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 

On the Joys of Heaven, 74 

THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 

On Detraction, .... 80 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 

On Feeding the Multitude in the Desert, 84 

PASSION SUNDAY. 

On the Heinousness of Sin, 87 

PALM SUNDAY. 

On the Holy Communion, 91 

EASTER SUNDAY — RESURRECTION. 

On the Eesurrection of our Lord, . . . . . . .97 

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

On the Peace of God, 100 

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

On the G-ood Shepherd, . . . , . . . .103 

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

On the Love of the World, 107 

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

On the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Ghost, . 110 

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

On Prayer, 113 

SUNDAY WITHIN THE ASCENSION. 

On the Ascension of our Lord, 116 

WHITSUNDAY. 

On the Descent of the Holy Ghost, 120 

TRINITY SUNDAY. 

On the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, 123 

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Blessed Sacrament, 126 

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Eash Judgment, 130 

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Christian Vigilance, " .133 

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Anger, . 138 



CONTENTS. XI 
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Page 

On Intemperance, 141 

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

OnGood Works, 145 

EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Alms-deeds, 149 

NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Abuse of the Graces of God, .152 

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Humility and Pride, 156 

ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Obduracy in Sin, 159 

TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Duties of Parents, 163 

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Sacramental Confession, 169 

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Serving two Masters, 173 

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Difference between the Death of the Sinner and that of the 

Just Man, 177 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Sanctification of the Sabbath, 182 

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Love of God, 185 

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Forgiveness of Sins, 189 

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Danger of Slighting the Calls of Heaven, . .194 

TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Divine Faith, . 197 

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Forgiveness of Injuries, " . 201 

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Paying unto God the Honour due to Him, .. . . . 204 

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On Confidence in God, - . . .209 

LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

On the Second Coming of the Messiah and the Last Judgment, . 213 



xii 



CONTENTS. 



SERMONS. 



SERMON I. 

Paok 

On the Observance of the Law, 218 

SERMON II. 

On Confession, . . . , 232 

SERMON III. 

On a Habitual State of Sin, 246 

SERMON IV. 

On Sanctity or Godliness, 259 

SERMON V. 

On Humility, . . * ... 274 

SERMON VI. 

On Forgiveness, 285 

SERMON VII. 

On Grace, 295 

SERMON VIII. 

On Hell, ........ . 307 

SERMON IX. 

On the Word of God, 320 

SERMON X. 

On the Service of God, 331 

SERMON XI. 

On Charity, , 345 

SERMON XII. 

On Eestitution, 361 

SERMON XIII. 

On Prosperity and Adversity, . 373 

SERMON XIV. 

On Death, . . . . . . . . . - .384 

SERMON XV. 

On Prayer, 396 

SERMON XVI. 

On the Love we Owe our Neighbour, 409 

SERMON XVII. 

On the Passion, . . 421 



EXHORTATIONS AND SERMONS 



FOR THE WKOLE YEAE. 



FIE ST SUNDAY OF ADYENT. 

The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, being 
one of the greatest festivals in the year — the ground-work 
of the redemption and salvation of mankind — -the Church 
has thought proper to employ a considerable space of time to 
prepare the faithful for that great solemnity. This space 
of time is called Advent, or the coming of the Lord. In 
order, therefore, to comply with the zealous, charitable, and 
pious views of the Church of Christ, we are to apply our- 
selves particularly during this holy season to penance and 
godliness, that Christ Jesus may vouchsafe to visit us with 
his holy grace, so as to be born spiritually within us. We 
are, in a word, " to prepare the way of the Lord," as St. John 
Baptist said when he began to announce our Lord, " and make 
straight his paths." This preparation consists in two points : — 
1st, in forsaking our evil ways ; and, 2nd, in improving in 
virtue. 

Forsake your evil ways, Christians, " for now is the hour 
for us," as St. Paul says in the Epistle which the Church 
reads this day, " to arise from sleep," that is, the lethargy 
of sin ! " Let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness, 
and put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly as in 
the day — not in rioting or drunkenness — not in obscenities 
or impurities — not in contention or emulation — for our salva- 
tion is nearer now than when we believed." Every moment 
of our lives brings us nearer and nearer to that last and 
dreadful moment on which depends our eternal lot, either for 
happiness or misery. 

Lest her mild and gentle lectures should prove insufficient, 
Christians, to induce you to forsake your evil ways, the 
Church, this day, wishes .to excite a holy terror in your souls, 
by laying before you the dreadful picture of the last and 

B 




10 



FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



universal judgment. " The fear of the Lord is the beginning 
of wisdom." The consideration of this dreadful mystery of 
religion is expedient and seasonable, at a time when we are 
preparing to behold the lamb-like appearance of our God 
upon earth. Who can seriously reflect on that last and tre- 
mendous day, its foregoing signs, the attendant circumstances, 
and the frightful consequences that must ensue, without the 
liveliest apprehensions of the judgments of God? No one 
can be so insensible as not to be moved and terrified at the 
dismal alterations that are to appear in the sun, moon, and 
stars ; the distress of nations ; the roaring of the sea and of 
the waves ; the- furious conflict and warring of the winds ; 
the confusion of the elements ; the sudden shock and violent 
agitations of the earth ; the shaking and removing of the 
powers or pillars of the heavens ; and, in fine, the convul- 
sion of all nature ! The terror and consternation will then 
be so great, as Christ Jesus assures us in the Gospel this day, 
that " men will wither away with fear and the expectation 
that shall come upon the whole world." But what must -be 
the sensation of sinners, when "they shall see the Son of 
Man coming upon a cloud, with great power and majesty?" 
And how dreadful must that scene appear, to which all the 
rest was only a prelude ! What darkens our understandings, 
at present, from a clear perception of the severity of God's 
justice, or even an apprehension of his judgments, is, that 
"we only see things through the mist of faith," as St. Paul 
says, and are witnesses to as many acts of clemency, as of 
justice and severity, on the side of God. But at the last 
day, we shall see things as they are, and nothing but severity 
and rigour. The mercies of God will then be at end, and 
give way to his inflexible wrath and justice. Then the Son 
of God will appear as "the roaring Lion of Juda," and 
avenge upon all sinners the many offences and outrages they 
had committed against the Divine Majesty, in the violation 
of his laws? Here I might lead you to the contemplation 
of the fury, despair, and confusion of the sinner, on being 
separated from the just, on seeing every foul action of his 
life laid open and exposed to the whole world, and on hear- 
ing the dreadful and irrevocable sentence passed on him, of 
sufferings and torture among the devils in hell for all eter- 
nity; but the nature of this discourse does not admit of 
deep and diffuse reasoning. I cannot, however, avoid observ- 
ing, that we, every one of us here present this day, will 
all appear at that general meeting of all mankind, in presence 
of the Supreme Judge of the living and the dead. "This 



FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



11 



generation shall not pass until these things are fulfilled/' 
When they shall happen is of no consequence to us — but in 
what character, is of the last consequence. Shall we be ranked 
amongst the sheep or goats'? the just or sinners'? those that 
shall calmly support the presence of the Lord, or those that, 
withering away with fear from a consciousness of their guilty 
lives and the terrible evils that are ready to burst over them, 
shall in vain invoke and call on the hills to cover them, and 
the mountains to fall on them, so as to screen and shelter 
them from the face of the living God 1 ? This is a subject 
for proper, wholesome meditation — let us, therefore, think 
frequently of it, that, by fearing the judgments of God, and 
avoiding everything sinful, we may prevent the dreadful con- 
sequences of the wrath of God. "Look well to yourselves' 
(they are the words of Christ Jesus, after the Gospel this day; 
"lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and 
drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and lest that day on a 
sudden surprise you ; for, like a snare, it shall come upon all 
those that sit upon the face of the whole earth. Watch, 
therefore, at all times, praying that you may be accounted 
worthy to escape all those things that are to come, and to 
stand before the Son of Man." 

The second thing we have to do, in order to prepare for the 
coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is to apply 
particularly to godliness and piety. For St. Paul, after en- 
joining us, in the Epistle of this day, "to cast off the works of 
darkness," orders us "to put on the armour of light," that 
is, to square all our actions by the principles of religion, and 
the maxims of Christ Jesus, who is the light of the world. 
The apostle even goes farther, and desires us "to put on 
Christ Jesus;" meaning thereby, to show a certain 
resemblance with him, by a perfect imitation of his life and 
virtues. A great many have no other notion of religion than 
avoiding certain crimes and excesses which heathens them- 
selves would blush to be guilty of. But this is a very great 
and prejudical error ; for religion, or virtue, consists not only 
in avoiding the great crimes prohibited by the law, but like- 
wise in doing the good, and practising the virtues prescribed 
by the law ; and not only doing the good and practising the 
virtues prescribed by the law, but carrying that good, and 
those virtues, to a certain degree of perfection. This is what 
St. Paul sets forth, when he says — " He that is just, let him 
become more and more just; and he that is holy, let him 
become more and more holy." Although it should be the 
chief care and business of every individual to do so at all 



12 



FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



times, yet it is more particularly so in the season of Advent, 
which we are now entering upon, as this season is particularly 
allotted for that purpose by the Church. As even the most 
regular livers, punctual and faithful to their duty, are very 
apt, in process of time, to slacken in their devotion and fidelity 
to God, from the cares and solicitudes of this world, it was 
necessary to lay out certain seasons of the year, in which the 
faithful may gain what they had lost, and improve their 
virtue to higher degrees of perfection, by a particular applica- 
tion to acts of religion and righteousness. This is what the 
Church has in view. Let me, therefore, beseech you, as St. 
Paul did his disciples — "Be ye renewed in spirit ;" apply 
yourselves at present to the practices of piety, with new 
eagerness and fervency of spirit ; become more assiduous at 
prayer, more humble in your deportment, more charitable to 
your neighbour, and more fervent in the service of God ; for 
thus only will you comply with the zealous and wholesome 
views of the Church, in preparing the way of the Lord, and 
removing the obstructions that hitherto prevented the 
spiritual birth of Christ within our souls. You are not only 
to perform your usual devotions and good works, but perform 
them with more attention, more devotion, more alacrity and 
cheerfulness ; and finally, with more ardent desires of pleasing 
God, and keeping yourselves always united unto him. This 
is what the apostle calls "putting on Christ Jesus," because 
it is following his spirit, his maxims, and his ways — and like- 
wise because it may be justly said of one who behaves in this 
Christian-like manner, as St. Paul used to say of himself — "It 
is not so much I that live, as Christ J esus that liveth within 
me." 

Let us, therefore, put on a firm resolution of "making 
straight the paths of the Lord," during this holy season, by a 
particular application to the duties, the exercises, of virtue and 
religion. If we do, Christ will certainly visit us, and not only 
visit, but be born spiritually within us, and so dwell with us 
by his holy grace. "If any one will love me," says Christ 
Jesus, "he shall be loved by my Father, and we both will 
come and dwell in him." This is the happy situation to 
which I wish to lead you, Christians — a situation that makes 
us the friends of God, the favourites of heaven, and living 
members of our mystical head, Christ Jesus — a situation that 
unites us to Christ by grace ; and, possessed of his holy grace, 
we become possessed of an infallible earnest of eternal 
happiness. Amen. 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



13 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADYENT. 

John, mentioned in the Gospel this day, was the precursor or 
forerunner of Christ, of whoni Isaiah says, " Behold I send my 
angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee/ 
He was called the Baptist, because of the baptism of penance 
Jae had preached in Judea before Christ had assumed his 
public character among the Jews, and because he had the 
Jiappiness of conferring this same baptism upon the Saviour of 
mankind. As he was to announce and make known Christ 
Jesus in the world, he was endowed with the greatest gifts of 
heaven, and raised by Almighty God to a most eminent 
sanctity ; insomuch, that Christ Jesus declares, " there had 
not risen a greater man than John the Baptist amongst the 
children of women." Yet with all his sanctity, with all the 
advantages of being the forerunner of the Messiah, and the 
person who had pointed him out publicly as " the Lamb of 
God who taketh away the sins of the world," how is he 
treated by the world 1 With the greatest severity imaginable 
— as we learn from the Gospel this day, that John the 
Baptist was languishing in prison in heavy chains, whilst the 
meanest and most worthless part of the creation enjoyed the 
blessings of ease, opulence, liberty, and life. How unsearch- 
able are the judgments, O my God, in the sufferings of thy 
angel, John ! 

This single passage shows you, Christians, how opposite the 
judgments of God are to those of men. What the world 
generally esteems and applauds, is an abomination in the eyes 
of God ; and what is most valuable in the eyes of God, is 
often an object of contempt in the opinion of men. No one 
ever possessed greater excellencies than John the Baptist, yet 
no one ever met with more cruelty or injustice from the world. 
On what account 1 Because he had the courage and resolu- 
tion to discharge his duty in the public character of minister 
to the Most High God, and reproach Herod openly with living 
incestuously with his brother's wife. This was sufficient to 
•exasperate that haughty and imperious prince to the highest 
degree, and draw upon himself the heaviest calamities. Herod, 
unable to bear the well-grounded reproach of John, ordered 
Mm immediately to be taken up, and thrown into a dark and 
loathsome place of confinement, loaded with iron chains. Had 
John the Baptist been governed by the maxims of the world, 
or, " the prudence of the flesh," as St. Paul calls it, he would 
have taken special care not to give the least offence to Herod, 
or expose himself to his resentment ; but he was the minister 



14 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



of God, governed by the Spirit of God, and, consequently,, 
would discharge his duty at the risk of his liberty or of his 
life. When John suffered, innocence suffered ; but being 
innocent, and more like an angel than a man, therefore he 
must suffer. All ye that are oppressed and laden, listen to 
that ; listen to St. Paul — " all those who mean to live piously 
in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution ;" and again, he says 
of himself, " were I to please man, I should not be a servant 
of Christ." Great, indeed, should be the consolation of those 
who have the courage to oppose and rise up against the cor- 
rupted maxims of the world, that whilst they are hated, or 
even despised by man, they are in the greatest favour with 
Almighty God. For you will observe, that our Lord and 
Saviour J esus Christ made it particularly his business to give 
John the Baptist the public praises and commendations his zeal 
deserved, setting him above not only all those whose rank 
entitled them to live at the courts of princes, but likewise 
above all the holy prophets that ever lived. Hence you may 
judge how much more reasonable, more equitable, and more 
advantageous it is to please the Almighty God, rather than 
mortal man. " Do not fear those," says Christ Jesus in the 
Gospel, "that kill the body, but rather fear him who can 
destroy both body and soul !" 

You may imagine, perhaps, Christians, that the obligation 
of opposing sins that are scandalous or injurious to the honour 
and glory of God, is confined to the ministers of God alone. 
Xo ; the same obligation extends to all the faithful in general, 
in many occurrences of life. " He that is not with me," says 
Christ Jesus, our Lord, " is against me f and again, " He that 
cloth not gather, scattereth." St. Paul declares, "that God 
gave every man his neighbour in charge." That is what 
divines call the obligation of fraternal correction, or the obli- 
gation we lie under of reprimanding our brethren, as often as 
they transgress the laws of God in our presence. In conse- 
quence of this obligation, we are all bound in conscience to 
correct those that live under our care, over whom we have any 
authority. Thus, a parent is always obliged to check and 
correct his children as often as they violate the laws of God in 
his presence ; and a master, his domestics and servants. In 
virtue of the same obligation, we are likewise bound, in con- 
science, to reprimand our equals with decency, gentleness, and 
charity, should they do or advance anything before us, incon- 
sistent with the principles of religion, moderation, or justice. 
We are further bound in conscience, even with regard to those 
of a superior rank, never to countenance or chime with their 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



15 



sinful ways or discourse ; but rather show by our silence, or a 
certain seriousness, or even sternness in our looks, that we can 
by no means approve of their conduct and maxims. How far 
does this principle prevail in the world % Is not the general 
maxim to let every man do as he pleases ; to create no enemies 
for ourselves ; to join with whatever company you are in, 
although the discourse were pointed at religion, at modesty, 
or the honour and reputation of a virtuous neighbour] What 
can the end of such principles be 1 We may hereby obtain 
the good-will of man ; but we certainly incur the displeasure 
of God, and not only incur his displeasure, but make ourselves 
liable to all the effects of his wrath. 

St. John the Baptist was not satisfied with opposing every- 
thing that was injurious to the honour and glory of God, but 
likewise endeavoured to promote that glory to the utmost of 
his power. For, the moment he had heard of the works of 
Christ, he sent two of his disciples to make a public inquiry 
about him, in order to have an opportunity of manifesting 
him unto the Jews, as the Messiah promised nnto, and ex- 
pected by the people of Israel. The question his disciples 
asked in public was this : " Art thou he that is to come, or 
are we to expect another'?" To which our Saviour answered, 
" Go, and tell John what you have heard and seen. The 
blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, 
and the poor have the Gospel preached unto them." This was 
telling them in reality, and all the multitude along with them, 
that he was the true Messiah ; as it clearly follows from these 
words, that he appeared in all the characters in which the 
Messiah had been represented by the Prophet Isaias, 35th 
chap. — " Be ye comforted, and do not fear : behold God Him- 
self shall come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind 
shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf disclosed. Then the 
lame shall skip about and exult, as a light-footed deer. Then 
the tongue of the mute shall be loosened and set at liberty." 
These were great and distinguishing marks indeed — marks 
that were plainly and visibly discernible in Christ Jesus, at 
that period, when he was performing the very works foretold 
by the prophet, before multitudes of people, even in the sight 
or hearing of all Judea. But what effect had the works 
upon those that were witnesses thereunto 1 The disciples of 
John were convinced thereby that Christ Jesus was the true 
Messiah ; but the rest remained wilfully in their blindness : 
for which reason our blessed Saviour added these remarkable 
words — "Happy is he that shall not be scandalized in me:" 
happy is he who does not occasion, by his own prejudices, and 



16 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



because I appear obscure in the eyes of the world, his own 
destruction, by rejecting me, or disavowing me, as the Re- 
deemer of mankind ! How was it possible the Jews 
could have mistaken, or could have refused to acknowledge 
Christ Jesus as the Redeemer of mankind 1 It was owing 
to their obstinacy, and the false notions they entertained of 
the Saviour promised unto Israel. For as the prophets had 
foretold that the Messiah would be great, and wise and 
powerful, and extend his empire to the remotest boundaries 
of the earth ; which was only to be understood in a 
spiritual light, and of the spiritual empire which Christ 
Jesus was to obtain, by the Christian religion, over all 
the nations upon earth ; the Jews, who were extremely 
terrestrial, understood those prophecies in a terrestrial light, 
and consequently expected the Messiah would come in all the 
power and glory of this world ; and, by his superior power and 
glory, restore the kingdom of Israel to all its former splendour, 
and even carry it to a higher point of splendour than ever it 
had attained to before. This was their error and the source of 
their misfortunes. For when they could descry nothing in 
Christ Jesus of what they expected ; when, instead of the 
great and mighty conqueror, and restorer of Israel, they could 
see nothing but a man, who had been bred, and who chose to 
live in obscurity and humiliation, they immediately rejected 
and disclaimed him publicly ; which was rejecting and dis- 
claiming him who was to be, chiefly and principally, the 
redemption and salvation of Israel, according to the promises 
made unto their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; and next 
to Israel, the redemption and salvation of all mankind. "Happy 
is the man that shall not be scandalized in me." 

How many, dear Christians, amongst ourselves, are daily 
scandalized in Christ Jesus ? that is, that daily reject, I do not 
say himself, but his laws, his maxims, his examples'?- We 
willingly acknowledge him as the Saviour of the world ; but 
do we willingly submit to the saving maxims of his holy laws 
— the maxims of humility, self-denial, self-disinterestedness, 
poverty of spirit, piety, and godliness, which he has laid 
down 1 Here we are scandalized in Christ, in neglecting these 
maxims. In this sense is Christ Jesus, even to many of his 
own disciples, a sign of contradiction. The cross of Christ, 
considered in this light, is no less a scandal to the Christians 
of our days, than it was formerly to the Jews. With pleasure 
we see Christ Jesus in his glorious transfiguration ; but how 
reluctantly do we view him in the humiliations and ignomi- 
nious scenes of his passion 1 With pleasure we hear him dis- 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



17 



coursing of the eternal glory and happiness that are prepared 
for his faithful disciples in the kingdom of heaven ■ but with 
what reluctance do we hear him preaching up the severe 
maxims of his law — " crucifying our flesh with all its concupis- 
cences and sensual appetites?" One thing, however, is certain, 
Christians, mark me well, that we can never share in the re- 
demption of Christ Jesus, if we be scandalized in him — if we 
refuse either to acknowledge him as our God and our 
Redeemer, or to follow and comply with the austere laws he has 
laid down for us ; because these are the conditions, the only 
necessary and indispensable conditions, on which he has pro- 
mised his followers to make them for ever happy in the king- 
dom of heaven. It is of the last consequence, therefore, to us, 
to acknowledge Christ Jesus, and fulfil his holy laws and 
maxims ; because this, and this alone, will make him truly a 
Redeemer to us, by granting us forgiveness of our sins in this 
life, and eternal happiness in the next. Amen. 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADYENT. 

Prom the many extraordinary things the Jews had heard of 
St. J ohn the Baptist, some of them fancied he might be the 
Messiah promised unto Israel ; for which reason they sent him 
a, solemn deputation, to know who he was, or what he was ; 
" whether it was he that was to come, or if they were expect 
another." To these different questions St. John made so many 
different answers, and told the deputies of the J ews, that he 
neither was the Messiah nor a prophet (for his humility was 
too great to consider himself in that light,) and that the 
Messiah promised unto Israel was no longer to be expected, 
inasmuch as " he was in reality amongst them although they 
knew him not ! " The deputies of the synagogue, or head 
council of the Jews, still urged him to declare what he was : 
he made them this final answer — " I am the voice of one cry- 
ing in the desert, make straight the ways of the Lord," as the 
prophet Isaiah said. Before Christ Jesus would vouchsafe to 
appear in his public character, and manifest himself unto the 
J ews, as the Messiah promised unto their forefathers, St. John 
the Baptist was commissioned, from heaven, to prepare his 
ways before him * to announce unto the people that he would 
immediately appear, and to prepare and dispose their minds 
and hearts to acknowledge and receive him. What did this 
preparation consist in, with regard to the Jews 1 In making 
straight the way of the Lord — in laying aside their prejudices, 



18 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



their false and erroneous principles, and thereby to dispose 
themselves to follow faithfully the heavenly light that should 
shine before them. 

This was the commission of St. John ; and as the Advent is 
intended to prepare us for the coming of Christ in his Nativity, 
the Church commissions her ministers to admonish the faithful 
of this day. in the words of John — " make straight the ways 
of the Lord ; " remove every obstacle that may prevent Christ 
Jesus from coming into our heart, and visiting us with his 
holy grace. The ways of the Lord are the ways that lead 
unto the Lord — truth, justice, and godliness. These ways 
are essentially straight in themselves ; but these ways, 
essentially straight and direct in themselves, may, and not 
only may, but frequently are, rendered crooked and oblique 
by our own perverseness — by the false and erroneous principles 
we adopt, and the sinful ways we pursue. These obstacles, 
therefore, Christians, it is necessary to remove, in order to 
make straight the ways of the Lord, or in order to enter into 
the ways that lead directly unto the Lord. Whilst we follow 
false and erroneous principles, it is plain we abandon the ways 
of truth ■ and whilst we follow sinful ways, it is plain we 
abandon the ways of justice ; consequently, we abandon the 
straight and direct ways of the Lord. Therefore, to rectify 
our ways, or make straight the ways of the Lord, it is necessary 
we lay aside the false principles we follow, and forsake the 
sinful ways we pursue : otherwise Christ Jesus will never visit 
us with his holy grace, nor make us partakers of eternal happi- 
ness. But what are these false and erroneous principles that 
render the ways of the Lord, which are essentially straight 
and direct in themselves, crooked and oblique 1 ? 1st. Principles 
of worldliness. The first way of the Lord is that fundamental 
law and maxim of Christ Jesus — " Seek the kingdom of heaven 
before all things." Did we pursue steadily this first, straight, 
and unerring way of the Lord, we should reject and despise 
all the interests of the world the moment they come in com- 
petition with our salvation, and decline any advantage that 
could be compassed but by a crime. In opposition to this 
first essential principle of religion, people generally set up 
another, which is this — to make the most of the world ; to 
employ their whole time in increasing their fortune, although, 
in the meantime, they should entirely neglect the care of their 
salvation : to embrace every offer fortune may throw in their 
way, though ever so sinful in the execution. The same might 
be said of the spirit of pride, the spirit of ambition, the spirit 
of sensuality and revenge, which reign universally in the 



THIRD SU>DAY OF ADVENT. 



world, than which nothing can be more opposite to the hu- 
mility, self-denial, and forgiveness, which are strictly enjoined 
by the laws of Christ. Therefore, to prepare our souls for the 
coming of the Lord, it is necessary we forsake the distorted 
ways in which our passions have engaged us, and return to the 
plain and direct ways that infallibly lead to heaven. 2nd. What 
renders the ways of the Lord distorted and oblique is a false 
conscience, or a principle by which many people endeavour to 
justify unto themselves what is really criminal in the eyes of 
God. This is undoubtedly the most dreadful situation in 
which any one can be placed. While one's conscience is clear, 
and, if I may say, enlightened, when he accounts that right 
which is really right, and that sinful which is really sinful, 
there is no reason to despair of his salvation, as he may repent 
one time or other, and return sincerely unto the Lord ; but 
there can be no hopes of that person, whose conscience is false 
and erroneous, or of the man who persuades himself that a 
thing is lawful, which is really criminal and unwarrantable in 
the eyes of God. For, as knowing and acknowledging our 
faults is the very first step to repentance, it is plain that man 
can never repent, who neither knows nor acknowledges his 
faults, nor, consequently, can have any expectation of eternal 
happiness. " If thine eye be clear," says our Lord and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ, " thy whole body will be enlightened ; 
but if thine eye be dark, thy whole body will be darkened." 
Now the eye of the soul is conscience, as it is conscience that 
directs the soul in her operations, by pointing out what is 
right and what is wrong. If, therefore, this conscience be 
dark, or governed by erroneous principles, it is plain nothing 
but works of darkness, and, consequently, works of perdition, 
can ensue ! 

But is it enough to excuse any man in the eyes of God, 
that he thinks his own actions and principles lawful and just? 
No j it is not. For the wise man declares, " there is a way 
which seemeth straight unto man, yet endeth in perdition ; " 
and the reason why it should be so is this, that the rectitude 
or lawfulness of our actions doth not depend entirely on our 
own thoughts or notions, but rather on their conformity with 
the laws of God ; if, therefore, our actions be not conformable 
to the laws of God, we are certainly criminal in his sight, let 
our own thoughts of them be ever so favourable. Is it not. 
enough, I say again, that a man thinks his own actions and 
principles lawful and just 1 ? No, Christians, it is not. Because 
there is a false and erroneous conscience, as well as a right 
and clear conscience : therefore, the testimony of conscience is 



20 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



not always an infallible rule. Were conscience always governed 
by reason and religion, then, indeed, it should be a true and 
unerring guide. But as it is pliable into any shape or form, 
frequently biased by prejudice, and often warped by interest, 
insomuch, that we frequently and easily convince ourselves, 
that whatever we earnestly wish for is just and holy. St. 
Augustine says, " The testimony of conscience is, upon many 
occasions, a false and destructive guide." How then shall a 
man know when his conscience is right, and the testimony of 
his conscience to be depended on ? It is thus : when the 
testimony of his conscience is conformable to the maxims of 
Christ, and the doctrine of the Church of Christ. For a 
further explanation of this principle, which is undoubtedly 
one of the most considerable and most extensive principles of 
religion, you must observe the law of Christ contains manifold 
obligations, all essential in their respective kinds. Some are 
so very clear, and easy to be understood, as to need no expli- 
cation ; others are more difficult and obscure in their nature. 
As for the clear and manifest obligations of the law, there is 
no one of any reason but sees when and how far they oblige in 
conscience ; but of the deeper and more intricate points of the 
law, every man is not a competent judge. Here, or in points 
of this kind, it is necessary to have recourse to, and consult 
the doctors of the Church, as appears from the words of Christ 
Jesus in" the Gospel — " the Scribes and Pharisees are seated 
upon the chair of Moses ; do ye, therefore, observe what they 
say or deliver unto you." 

If, therefore, Christians, in the material transactions of life, 
where the law of God may interfere and come in question, 
people neglect consulting the masters in Israel — the doctors of 
the Church ; or if designedly, they consult such as they think 
are ready and willing from their ignorance, complaisance, or 
any private interest, to favour or indulge their passions ; if, in 
fine, any man undertake to set up his own private opinion in 
opposition to the opinion of the Church, with regard to the 
lawfulness or unlawfulness of any practice, that man is 
certainly reproved in the eyes of God, and must be ever 
excluded from the glory of heaven, because, as St. John says, 
" he had loved darkness more than light." 

What has a man of this character to do 1 To make 
straight his ways in the presence of the Lord ; to adopt no 
other principles but those of Christ ; to follow no other ways 
but the ways of Christ ; to be governed by no other opinion 
but the opinion of the Church of Christ. It will avail a man 
nothing at the tribunal of Christ, that he fancied he was 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



21 



doing right, while he was actually transgressing the most 
material points of the law. Will not Christ Jesus object upon 
that occasion, that he was not his own guide; inasmuch as- 
there were teachers, and doctors, and pastors established in 
his Church, as St. Paul declares, to direct and instruct him in 
the ways of heaven 1 ? Will he not make him sensible, that if 
he fancied he was doing right, it was owing to an excessive 
and passionate love of the world, which blinded him so far as 
to hinder him from seeing the light, or taken any pains to 
discover it 1 ? Will he not reproach him with having been ever 
afraid of discovering the truth, lest he should be thereby 
disturbed in his criminal practices, or thereby deprived of a 
share of the perishable interests of this world % Will he not 
convince him, that as often as he was told the truth by the 
ministers of Christ, either in public or private, he rejected 
it with disdain, always preferring his own private erroneous 
opinion, to the general, true, and unerring opinion of the 
Church of Christ ; because his own erroneous opinion favoured 
his interest and his passions, whilst the other condemned both 
the one and the other, as they were entirely inconsistent with 
the true interests of his soul 1 This is certainly what will pass 
one day, at the tribunal of Christ, with regard to those whose 
ways are not straight in the presence of the Lord. Let us, 
therefore,- beseech the Almighty to renew a spirit of rectitude 
within our bowels ; a spirit of truth ; a spirit of docility and 
fidelity to the law; a spirit that may induce us to prepare 
effectually the ways of the Lord, by removing every obstacle 
to salvation, and fulfilling faithfully every duty, the obser- 
vance whereof is necessary towards attaining the possession of 
eternal happiness in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 

As the Advent was instituted by the Church to prepare the 
faithful for the coming of Christ Jesus in his Nativity, so it 
ends or closes with that part of the Gospel which announces 
the approaching Nativity of Christ : " Every one shall see the 
salvation sent from God." Now, this happened, Christians, 
when the only begotten Son of God was born visibly amongst 
us, for th@ redemption and salvation of mankind. This was 
the happy period foretold by the prophets, which was to draw 
down the greatest blessings upon mankind in general. This 
was the happy period all the holy patriarchs and saints of the 
Old Law had been wishing and longing for, with the most 



22 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



vehement desires ; frequently calling upon the heavens to open 
and the holy one to come down — " the expectation of nations 
and the desire of mankind." 

What necessity, Christians, was there for a Messiah or a 
Redeemer 1 To conceive this point, which is, undoubtedly, 
the foundation and ground-work of religion, you must know 
that Almighty God, after creating the first parents of all 
mankind, assured them that they and their posterity should 
be made completely and eternally happy in the kingdom of 
heaven, after enjoying many great and considerable blessings 
upon earth for some time, provided they proved faithful to his 
divine laws ; which laws were then no other than the worship 
and love due to the Divine Majesty, and abstaining from the 
forbidden fruit ; which laws of worship and love were engraved 
in their hearts, and the law of abstaining from the forbidden 
fruit expressly and positively specified unto them. Had they 
continued faithful unto God, he would undoubtedly have 
fulfilled his promise unto them ; but as they transgressed his 
laws, they lost and forfeited every title to the promise which 
had been made to them. In consequence of this forfeiture, 
Adam and Eve, and all their guilty posterity, were excluded 
for ever from the happiness they had been destined for ; and 
also condemned to the severest punishments — to sickness, 
sufferings, death, and to all the evils and calamities of this 
life. These were the deplorable effects of one sin : and in this 
condition they must have remained for ever, had not Almighty 
God, in his great mercy, promised unto Adam a Saviour, by 
whose merits they should not only be redeemed from sin, and 
the penalties of sin, but, likewise, restored to their former 
privileges and right to eternal happiness. It was not in the 
power of man, weak, imperfect, and sinful as he was, to make 
the proper satisfaction or atonement for the injury the Divine 
Majesty had received in the violation of his laws — No. As 
the injury was infinitely great, it could not properly be atoned 
for but by a mediator of infinite merit. As the injury was 
offered to the Most Sacred Majesty of God, it required the 
interposition of no less than the Son of God, to make a full 
and complete satisfaction — such a satisfaction as God the 
Father could not refuse accepting. 

But could not Adam and Eve have repented after their 
fall, and thereby have obtained forgiveness from Almighty 
God 1 No, Christians, they could not ; because repentance 
derives all its efficacy, all its merits, from the merits of Christ, 
and the promise Almighty God had made of granting for- 
giveness upon repentance, through the merits of Christ. If, 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



23 



therefore, a Redeemer had not been promised, repentance 
could have been of no value or significance unto man. But 
this Redeemer, so necessary for the reparation of the injury 
that had been offered to God in the violation of his laws, and 
so necessary for the reparation of the many great and con- 
siderable evils which had fallen upon man and his posterity 
for ever, in consequence of his first transgression or prevarica- 
tion, the Almighty was most graciously pleased to promise, 
immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve ; for, addressing 
the serpent who had seduced Eve to violate and transgress the 
divine command, he said, "I will put enmities between thee 
and the woman, and thy seed and her seed; and she shall 
bruise thy head to pieces." That is, of a woman should be 
born a Redeemer, who should destroy the power and empire of 
the infernal spirit who had tempted Eve under the form of a 
serpent, and had been thereby instrumental to the ruin and 
destruction of mankind. The same promise was renewed to 
Abraham, after the Almighty had chosen him for the father 
and head of a large people, who should serve him in spirit and 
truth, with this additional circumstance, that the Messiah 
should be bom of his race ; for the Lord assured him, all 
nations of the earth shall be blessed in him — in the Messiah, 
who was to be one of his descendants. It was further renewed 
to Jacob, grandson of Abraham, with some general indications 
of the time when the Messiah was to appear. For this 
patriarch, after giving his blessing at his death unto his 
children, was seized by a prophetic spirit, and said "The 
sceptre," or supreme power, "shall not be taken out of the 
tribe of Juda, nor shall a commander be wanting in his race, 
till he that is to be sent (the Messiah) shall come; and he 
shall be the expectation of nations." From this prophecy it 
appears that the Messiah was to come when the sceptre, or 
supreme power, should be no longer in the house or tribe of 
Juda. This was exactly the case when Christ appeared on 
earth ; for then the supreme power was not in the house or 
tribe of Juda. or in the hands of any J ew, but in the hands of 
a stranger — of Herod, who was an ldumean, an alien, and 
who, though no Jew, yet waslmade king of Judea by the 
Romans, who had conquered it under Pompey the Great, 

The same great and important promise of a Messiah, or 
Redeemer, was renewed in all the prophecies from age to age, 
but especially in that of Daniel, during the captivity in Baby- 
lon. After the Jews had abandoned the Almighty and the 
observance of his holy laws, he gave them up a prey to their 
enemy, the king of Babylon, who, after a long and oppressive 



24 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



war, took and destroyed Jerusalem and its temple, and led 
the Jews and their king captives to Babylon, where they 
remained in captivity seventy-two years. During this period 
— a period of severity and punishment — the Almighty did not 
entirely forget his people; as he sent prophets to comfort 
them, to animate their courage, and keep alive their expecta- 
tions of a deliverance. Among these was the prophet Daniel, 
who frequently assured them their captivity should soon be 
at an end, and advised them to prepare the roads for their 
return to Jerusalem, the only object of their ardent wishes, as 
it was the holy city to which Almighty G-od was pleased to 
grant a special protection, and where he held a visible con- 
verse or intercourse with his own people. With a view to 
their immediate return to Jerusalem, the prophet admonished 
the J ews to prepare the roads beforehand, saying, " Every hill 
shall be levelled, and every valley shall be filled up," as we 
read in the Gospel of this day ; which passage is taken word 
for word out of the prophet, Daniel. He was not content 
with assuring the Jews they should soon be released from their 
captivity in Babylon, but, likewise, signified to them the time 
of the redemption promised unto Israel, of which their deliver- 
ance from the captivity of Babylon was only a figure. In his 
9th chap., the prophet says, "Before seventy weeks (in the 
language of Scripture, a week hear means seven years) are 
expired, there shall be an end of prevarication and sin; 
iniquity shall be destroyed ; the eternal justice shall come 
into the world ; the prophecies shall be fulfilled ; and the 
Holy of Holies shall be anointed." This term of years, fore- 
told by the prophet, agrees exactly with the time wherein 
Christ Jesus appeared in the world, as all chronologers are 
agreed. 

From the whole history of religion, it appears that the 
belief and expectation of a Redeemer was the most essential 
and fundamental point of religion from the very beginning of 
the world. As now there is no salvation to be expected but 
by believing the Messiah is come, so, likewise, there was no 
salvation before the coming of Christ, but by believing he was 
to come, and fulfilling the law — the law of reason, or the law 
of nature, until the time of Moses ; and by fulfilling from his 
time, the written, or Mosaic law, until the coming of Christ, 
who instituted and established the New Law or dispensation. 
As now we expect and obtain salvation by believing the 
Messiah is come, and fulfilling his holy laws ; so likewise, 
before the coming of Christ, salvation was expected and 
obtained by believing the Messiah was to come. This is, 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



25 



certainly the most beautiful, the most instructive, and the 
most comfortable part of our holy religion, from which two 
things are to be inferred : first, to be extremely thankful to 
Almighty God for having granted to mankind, even in pre- 
ference to the angels, who were involved in like guilt and 
misfortunes, a divine Redeemer, by whose merits we have been 
redeemed from the bondage of Satan, which our first parents 
brought upon their whole race, and which they must for ever 
have continued in, had not our Divine Redeemer, Christ Jesus, 
come forward, and, by his sufferings and death, reconciled 
mankind with his father, by atoning or satisfying for their 
guilt. Secondly, to take especial care not to defeat or frus- 
trate the merciful views of God, by neglecting to fulfil the 
conditions he requires at our hands — the observance of his 
holy laws ; for although we are all truly redeemed in Christ, 
yet we will not all be partakers of the entire benefits of our 
redemption in Christ — eternal happiness ■ beeause this eternal 
happiness is not promised to all those that are redeemed, but 
to those who, after being redeemed, shall fulfil the law, or, 
after transgressing some points of the law, shall sincerely 
repent and return unto the Lord. For this end, and for this 
alone, was St. John the Baptist ordered from heaven before 
Christ Jesus would appear publicly in the world, to go and 
preach the baptism of penance unto the people ; to exhort 
them strenuously to repentance, assuring them that as their 
bodies were cleansed and purified by him in the waters of the 
river Jordan, so their sins should be washed away in the 
presence of the Lord by repentance, through the merits of the 
Messiah, who was immediately to make his appearance 
amongst them. 

Hence, divines conclude there are but two ways of attain- 
ing eternal happiness — the way of innocence, and the way of 
repentance. The way of innocence belongs to those who, after 
baptism, depart this life, having retained their baptismal 
innocence to the end. But the way of repentance is the 
common and general way ; because there are very few, if any 
at all, who die in possession of the innocence they acquired in 
their baptism, after attaining the use of reason. This is, 
therefore, the way we should all pursue. It is the only way 
open for us to attain the possession of heaven. But let us 
remember that repentance necessarily implies three things : 
the first, a true and sincere sorrow for having offended 
Almighty God for the past ; an application to the sacrament 
of penance, accompanied by a change of life for the present ; 
and a firm resolution for the time to come, of never offending 

C 



26 



THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. 



Almighty God, by transgressing mortally any one of his laws r 
for any consideration, or upon any account whatever. With- 
out these conditions there can be no true repentance ; nor, 
consequently, any pretensions to share in the redemption of 
Christ. On the other hand, if we level every hill ; if we 
break down our passions, and reduce them to the obedience 
of God's holy law ; if we fill up every valley ; if, by our future 
good works (Avorks of patience, works of charity, works of 
meekness and humility,) we manifest our sincere love of God, 
and sorrow for having ever offended him, we shall assuredly 
partake in the full benefits of the redemption of Christ Jesus, 
our Lord — mercy here, and eternal mercies, eternal joys and 
blessings hereafter. Amen. 



THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. 

Although Almighty God was pleased to promise a Kedeemer 
to mankind, by whose merits they should be saved from sin, 
and the eternal punishments due to sin, and likewise restored 
to their primitive right to the kingdom of heaven, immediately 
after the fall of our first parents ; yet the promise was not 
fulfilled, or carried into execution, until many ages after it 
was made, that all mankind might thereby become sensible of 
their own misery and weakness, and wish with greater eager- 
ness for the Redeemer they expected. 

It was " in the plenitude of time," as St. Paul expresses it 
— that is, when the complete time was come of showing mercy 
unto mankind, that the only begotten Son of God was born in 
Bethlehem, a little town near Jerusalem, after taking human 
nature upon him in the womb of the blessed Virgin, through 
the operation of the Holy Ghost. 

Augustus Csesar, the Roman emperor, having published an 
edict, that all the subjects of the empire should be enrolled, 
the Jews (whose country, Judea, was then a Roman province) 
were obliged to obey the law ; conformably to which Mary, 
and Joseph, her reputed husband, travelled in the midst of 
winter, from Nazareth, a little town in Galilee, where they 
lived, to Bethlehem, to give in their names, and be enrolled. 
It was here that Mary brought forth the Son of God, and 
Redeemer of mankind, in a deserted and obscure stable, 
whither she was obliged to repair, there being no room, the 
Gospel says, in the inns or public-houses of the town, which 
were all occupied by the multitudes that came to have their 
names registered according to the emperor's command. 



THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. 



27 



Can anything, Christians, be more astonishing than to see 
the Maker of heaven, and Lord of all things, the Son of God, 
and Redeemer of mankind, reduced to dwell in a dark and 
obscure stable at his very first appearance in the world? He 
that fills the heavens with his glory, is now confined to a most 
miserable habitation ! Is this owing to chance or design? 
Undoubtedly it was intended for our instruction and improve- 
ment, as we shall shortly see. In the meantime, Almighty 
God was not wanting to manifest the unequalled greatness of 
his Son, even while he lay unnoticed, and, as if abandoned, 
in a most despicable retreat ; for we read in the Gospel of this 
day, that, " while certain shepherds were watching their flocks 
by night, they perceived a heavenly light spreading and diffus- 
ing itself around, which filled them with fear and apprehen- 
sions. Then the angel of the Lord said unto them, ' Fear not ; 
for, behold I bring unto you tidings of great joy, which shall 
be to all the people, because this day is born to you a Saviour 
who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David ; and this 
shall be a sign unto you, you shall find an infant wrapt in swad- 
dling clothes, and laid in a manger.' " Immediately after these 
words, was heard a melodious concert of celestial spirits in the 
air, giving praise to God, and sayiug, " Glory to God in the 
highest heavens, and on earth peace to men of good will." 

What notion, Christians, must these happy shepherds have 
conceived of the new born infant they were informed of, from 
the extraordinary appearance to which they had been wit- 
nesses 1 And what must that infant be whose birth the very 
powers of heaven were ordered to publish to mankind in the 
most solemn manner, and with the greatest demonstrations of 
joy? As soon as the angels departed, the shepherds said unto 
each other, " Let us go as far as Bethlehem, and see this 
"Word which was made, and which the Lord hath shown unto 
us ; and actually they went with speed, and found Mary and 
Joseph, and the Infant laid in a manger." 

It is easy to conceive the awful and religious sentiments 
which must have arisen in the hearts of th,ose shepherds the 
moment they perceived the infant Jesus, laid in the very 
situation that angels had described. With what joy did they 
behold the infant God, who was one day to release them 
from the slavery of sin, the everlasting torments of hell, to 
make them partakers of all the joys and glory of the kingdom 
of heaven ! With what gratitude did they acknowledge the 
extraordinary favour that was shown them, in particular, as 
being the first of mankind informed of the birth of the 
Redeemer of mankind i 



23 



THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. 



But, the better to conceive these sentiments, let us go, in 
spirit, to Bethlehem, with the shepherds mentioned in the 
Gospel of this day, and " behold the Word that was made " 
— " The Word of God made flesh," for the salvation of man- 
kind. Let us humbly adore, in spirit, the Son of God, upon 
his appearance in the world, and consider, attentively, the 
infinite bounty of God, who, though infinitely happy in him- 
self, from his own essential and eternal felicity, was pleased 
to come down from heaven and take our nature upon him, to 
enable him to suffer and die, and, by suffering and dying on 
the cross, reconcile mankind with his Almighty Father, and 
thereby entitle them to the possession of heaven, whence they 
were excluded since the fall and prevarication of the first 
parent of mankind. 

Such consideration must necessarily inspire that gratitude 
and love for Christ Jesus, which seem peculiar to the mystery 
of his birth ; for, of all the mysteries of his life, this is the 
most moving, the most endearing, the most capable of inspir- 
ing the greatest confidence and love. Also, where he appears 
in the character of a God, the splendour of his miracles, the 
divine majesty that always shone forth in his appearance and 
actions, are apter to create the greatest awe and veneration 
than confidence and love. But in his nativity, he appears, in 
some measure, divested of the divinity, and under such forms 
and circumstances as must encourage the most timorous souls 
— solitude, obscurity, infancy, and weakness ! Let us, there- 
fore, Christians, confidently approach this infant God in his 
cradle, and after adoring him in spirit, as the Son of God and 
Saviour of the world, humbly beseech him to be a Saviour 
unto ourselves. It is for our salvation he is bom. Our salva- 
tion will, likewise, be the happy fruit of his birth, provided we 
comply with the instructions he has given us even in his 
birth. 

For Christ Jesus, even in his cradle, preaches aloud, as the 
holy fathers observe, with a strong, persuasive, though silent 
voice, the great, important, and saving truths he afterwards 
delivered publicly unto the world — namely, humility, self- 
denial, and poverty of spirit. And, first, what can be more re- 
markable than the humility of Christ Jesus, even in his very 
birth? Master, as he was, of the whole creation, he could 
have easily chosen the most noble palace, or splendid habita- 
tion, for the place of his birth. He was better pleased to 
come into the world in a deserted and obscure stable, without 
the least show, figure, or ostentation ; in order, undoubtedly, 
to cure us of a certain spirit of pride and ambition which 



THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. 



29 



reigns universally in the world, and makes people set the 
greatest value upon the honours and distinctions of this life, 
which are of little or no value in themselves, and most com- 
monly, the greatest obstacle in their salvation. From his cra- 
dle, therefore, does J esus cry aloud, as he did afterwards in his 
public character, " Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of 
heart." What an instance of self-denial and mortification did 
Christ Jesus exhibit even in his birth ! Every circumstance 
must undoubtedly have added to his sufferings upon this 
occasion : — the inclemency of the season, the depth of winter, 
the hour of midnight — as the Scripture says, while the night 
was rolling on, in the very midst of her rapid course, the Om- 
nipotent Word of God broke forth from the celestial seats 
above, and appeared in human nature upon earth ; and to this 
the many hardships he must have laboured under at that ten- 
der age, from the very situation of the open, bleak, and miser- 
able stable in which he was born. How justly, then, could 
this Divine Redeemer preach up afterwards self-denial unto 
his disciples, saying, "If any one will be my disciple, let him 
deny himself," after he had himself thus practised the greatest 
self-denial and abnegation, from the very first moment of his 
life ! 

What poverty did Christ Jesus appear in at his first 
coming into this world ! Was he not pleased to see himself 
deprived, upon this occasion, of the most necessary accommoda- 
tions — such accommodations as the poorest people upon earth 
are entitled to, and generally supplied with? Mary could not 
find room in the inn, the Gospel says, and not finding room, 
she is obliged to retire to the first place she met with, which 
was no other than a stable ! Here she brings forth the Son of 
God, the Redeemer of mankind. But from the very nature 
and situation of the place, what want and necessities must 
have ensued ! All the place could supply was — a bad cover- 
ing, a poor manger, and a slender portion of straw. These 
were all the riches the Son of God possessed on his entrance 
into the world ! For which reason St. Paul says, "He that 
was rich by nature, made himself poor, for the love of man- 
kind." 

Christ Jesus was not only pleased to come poor into the 
world, but has likewise made poverty sacred in his person, as 
the holy fathers observe. For who was it, Christians, the 
Almighty God first informed of the birth of Christ ? The 
poor shepherds that were watching their flocks during the 
night ; and they, in preference to all the great, and rich, and 
opulent men that were then living upon the earth. Who was 



so 



THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. 



it, besides, that Christ Jesus promised his kingdom to in a 
most particular manner 1 The poor : for he says, " Happy are 
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 
Finally, what is the condition, the essential condition Christ 
Jesus requires of his disciples to entitle them to the kingdom 
of heaven % Poverty of spirit : for he says, in the Gospel. " No 
one can be my disciple, that will not renounce all that he has." 
Not, in fact, by throwing away his substance, or fortune, but 
by renouncing it in spirit ; that is, by disengaging his heart 
and affections from all the wealth and riches in the world. 

But how far do these examples and maxims of Christ Jesus 
prevail in the world? Notwithstanding the real poverty in 
which he was born, notwithstanding the poverty of spirit he 
commands and requires, is it not the riches and wealth of this 
world that even the Christians of our days are mostly desirous 
of, and labour for with the greatest application and eagerness 
of desire 1 

Notwithstanding, it must be admitted, as St. Bernard 
argues upon this subject, that either Christ Jesus or the 
world is mistaken — but it can never be supposed that Christ 
Jesus, who is the essential and eternal wisdom of God, can be 
mistaken, therefore it must be the world that is mistaken in 
the value men set upon', and the indefatigable ardour with 
which they pursue, the wealth and riches of this world. One 
single view of the stable in which Christ Jesus was born, the 
shreds with which he was covered, and the manger wherein he 
was laid, proved this truth to a demonstration. Let us, 
therefore, learn from the example of Christ Jesus, even in his 
birth, to rectify the false notions of the world, and adopt the 
notions and maxims of Christ. Let us never forget that this 
divine Redeemer was, in his nativity a complete pattern of 
humility, self-denial, and poverty of spirit, which are the 
fundamental virtues of Christianity. Let us not only learn to 
know and distinguish those great and necessary virtues, but 
likewise practise them in imitation of Christ. If we do, we 
may justly say, with the Angel of the Lord, "There is a 
Saviour born unto us, who is Christ our Lord ; " by whose 
merits we shall be saved from sin, the punishment due to 
sin, and likewise put in possession of the kingdom of heaven. 
Amen. 



THE CIRCUMCISION. 



31 



THE CIRCUMCISION. 

As this is, Christians, one of the greatest festivals of the 
year, a festival dictated to the name of Christ Jesus, it is 
very proper we should inquire into and be informed of every- 
thing relating thereto. Now what chiefly concerns this 
festival is contained in the Gospel of this day, which tells 
that " when eight days were ended, the child was circumcised, 
and the name of Jesus given unto him." But what was 
circumcision 1 It was the first ceremony among the Jews, 
instituted by God himself, when he directed Abraham to 
circumcise himself, his family, and all his posterity, as an 
everlasting mark of the covenant he had made with him ; for 
we read in the seventeenth chapter of Genesis these remark- 
able words, " and God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep 
my covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee, in their genera- 
tions. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep between me 
and you, and thy seed after thee : every man child among you 
shall be circumcised ; and he that is eight days old shall be 
circumcised among you. And my covenant shall be in your 
flesh for an everlasting covenant." From these words it 
appears 1st — that circumcision was ordained by Almighty 
God ; 2ndly — that it regarded the male children alone, who 
were to be circumcised eight days after they were born ; — 3dly, 
— that it was a token of strict alliance which Almighty God 
was pleased to contract with Abraham and his posterity; 
insomuch, that without circumcision, no one was looked on as 
of the chosen people of God ; for the Almighty adds these 
words in the same chapter, "and the uncircumcised male 
child, whose flesh is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut 
off from my people ; he hath broken my covenant." 

Now, Christians, as it was a point of obligation of the 
law to be circumcised, Christ Jesus (who came not to dissolve 
the law, but to fulfil it, even to the least tittle, as he declares 
himself in the Gospel) would not but submit to the law of 
circumcision ; for which reason, we read in this day's Gospel, 
that after the eight days were over, the child was circumcised, 
and his name called Jesus. 

As in the New Law, or dispensation, it is customary to give 
names unto children at their baptism, so it was in the Old Law 
at the time of circumcision ; for which reason the Son of God 
had his name likewise given him at that time. But what 
name, Christians 1 The most august name that ever was — a 
name dictated by an angel before he was born — a name so 
venerable, St. Paul says, "that every knee shall bend at the 



32 



THE CIRCUMCISION. 



sound thereof, of those who are in heaven, on earth, and in 
hell," that is, the most holy name of Jesus ! But what does 
the name of Jesus signify 1 It signifies a Saviour, or 
Redeemer. Why was the name of Jesus, or Saviour of man- 
kind, given to Christ in his circumcision, since the salvation 
of mankind was to be wrought upon the cross % For the 
strongest reasons imaginable : 1st— -Because it was Christ 
Jesus that truly saved us and redeemed us from the slavery of 
sin, and the eternal punishments due to sin ; 2nd — Because 
by submitting to circumcision, he contracted an obligation 
of dying for the redemption of mankind • for, whoever was. 
circumcised became a debtor to the law, and put himself 
under an obligation of fulfilling the whole law, as St. Paul 
declares in the 5th chapter of his epistle to the Galatians. 
Now the law could not be fulfilled but by the oblation of the 
body and blood of Christ upon the cross — for which reason 
his last dying words were these — "Now all is fulfilled;" 
therefore Christ Jesus, by submitting to the law of circum- 
cision, contracted an obligation of dying for the salva- 
tion of mankind. 3rd — Christ Jesus not only contracted 
an obligation, in his circumcision, of saving mankind, 
but likewise put himself in the immediate and neces- 
sary dispositions of becoming a victim for them ; for, in 
order to save mankind, it was necessary to make unto the 
Almighty God a full reparation for the injury he had received 
in the violation of his law ; it was necessary his justice should 
b e satisfied and appeased. But this no sinner, no creature,, 
nothing less than a God, could do, because he alone could 
offer a satisfaction worthy of a God. This is the reason why 
Christ Jesus submits to the law of circumcision ; for as that 
was the mark of sin, in the Old Law, Christ J esus by under- 
going that ceremony, took on him the appearance of sin, that 
he might, in that character, be able to offer himself a victim 
for all the sins of mankind, and endure the punishments they 
deserved. 4th — Christ Jesus, in his circumcision, began in 
effect, to act the part of a Saviour, by shedding a part of his 
blood for the redemption of mankind. This followed from the 
very nature of the operation, wherein a part of his flesh was 
cut away, which was necessarily attended with an effusion of 
blood ; so that the first drops that were spilled of his blood in 
the circumcision, were an earnest of his shedding the rest upon 
the cross. With what gratitude then should we call to mind 
that mystery which was the commencement of our redemption L 
Another great advantage we derive from the circumcision of 
Christ is, that this painful ceremony was abolished thereby 



THE CIRCUMCISION. 



33 



so as to subsist no longer in the New Law ; for St. Paul says 
in the 5th chapter of his epistle to the Galatians, " If you 
be circumcised, Christ will avail you nothing ; in Christ 
J esus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any- 
thing, but faith, which worketh by charity." Our circumcision 
is baptism in Christ Jesus — for St. Paul says in the 2nd chap- 
ter to the Colossians, " You are circumcised with a circum- 
cision not made with the hand, by taking away the bodily flesh, 
but with the circumcision of Christ, buried together with him in 
baptism." Therefore what circumcision signified in the Old 
Law, baptism effects in the New, and that with its full 
degree of perfection, as by virtue of the sacrament, people 
of all nations and all conditions are regenerated in Christ, 
made children of God, and heirs to the kingdom of heaven. 
5th — It is, however, necessary to observe, that Christ Jesus, in 
his circumcision, abolished only the exterior performance of 
this ceremony ; for the inward circumcision, or circumcision of 
the heart, remains still an indispensable obligation in the New 
Law : for our Saviour says, "If any one will be my disciple, let 
him deny himself and St. Paul, in his 3rd chapter to the 
Philippians, "We are the circumcision, who serve God in 
spirit." Therefore there is a circumcision subsisting in the New 
Law, which consists in serving God in spirit. Even in the Old 
Law, the bare circumcision of the flesh availeth nothing, with*- 
out the spirit thereof, as appears from St. Paul, in his 2nd 
chapter to the Romans, " He is not a Jew who is so outwardly; 
nor is that circumcision, which is outwardly done in the flesh ; 
but he is a J ew who is so inwardly ; and that is circumcision, 
which is of the heart, in the spirit, and not according to the 
letter." This is the meaning, Christians, of these remarkable 
words in the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy : " The Lord will 
circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, that thou 
mayest love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart." What 
we should therefore propose to ourselves from the considera- 
tion of this mystery is, "to circumcise ourselves unto the 
Lord," as the Prophet Jeremy said unto the Jews, " and cut 
away the uncircumcision of our hearts;" that is, to retrench 
every vicious affection, every irregular appetite of the mind, 
otherwise we can have no share in the circumcision of Christ, 
nor, consequently, in the fruits of his sufferings and redemp- 
tion. 6th — But what does the circumcision of the heart consist 
in 1 First in refusing ourselves every unlawful pleasure ; and 
secondly, in denying ourselves frequently the most lawful 
pleasures, in order to lower the passions, strengthen our virtue, 
and make ourselves conformable, in some measure, to Jesus 



34 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



Christ, our glorious head, and the pattern of all the elect. 
" Those who are of Christ," St. Paul says to the Galatians, 
"have crucified their flesh, with its vices and lusts." It is 
this crucifying of the flesh, or this circumcision of the heart, 
that we must endeavour at and compass in reality, if we 
entertain any desires of the kingdom of God. A resolution of 
this kind may be disagreeable to the corruption of our nature, 
which is always prone to sensual pleasures ; but what should 
reconcile it to our thoughts is, that it is absolutely necessary, 
and that it is nothing to what Christ Jesus suffered for us in 
his circumcision. In fine, when we see this infant God under- 
going the most painful operation, and at that period of life, 
when the delicacy of his constitution must have greatly added 
to every sensation of pain ; and all this for our salvation, 
can we refuse, Christians, to submit to every severity of the 
law 1 No. Let us rather always bear about in our bodies, 
as St. Paul says to the Corinthians, the mortification of Christ, 
that the life of Christ may be made manifest in our bodies. If 
we do, we may justly expect that after denying ourselves a few 
insignificant pleasures upon earth, we shall be admitted one 
day into the everlasting joys of the kingdom of heaven. 
Amen. 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

The festival mentioned in the beginning of this day's Gospel, 
which Joseph, Mary, and the child Jesus went up to celebrate 
at Jerusalem, when he was twelve years old, was the great 
festival of the Pasche or Passover. As this great festival 
had been instituted in commemoration of the deliverance of 
the J ews from their slavery in Egypt, and as their deliverance 
was held in the greatest veneration among the Jews, it was 
performed with the greatest solemnity imaginable. It lasted 
seven entire days, and was always celebrated with a prodigious 
concourse of people. No one that had any regard to the law, 
any sentiment of religion, or any gratitude for the blessings 
of heaven, would be absent during this great and memorable 
solemnity. 

Upon one of these occasions, the holy family of Nazareth, 
who were extremely remarkable for their godliness and 
punctual observance of the law, " went up to J erusalem, 
according to the custom of the festival," the Gospel says, 
" with the child Jesus who was then twelve years old." 
After spending the time prescribed by the law, in the religious 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



35 



exercises of offering up sacrifices unto the Lord, and hearing 
the law read and expounded in the Temple, they returned 
towards their home, "but the child Jesus remained in 
Jerusalem, and his parents knew it not." For, imagining him 
in the company of the group wherewith he travelled, one day's 
journey was made before they missed him. After searching in 
vain amongst their kindred and acquaintances, they return 
sorrowful, to Jerusalem, where, for three days, they continued 
the search ; and at length led by the finger of God to the 
Temple, there the astonished parents find him (Jos. lib. 7), 
seated, surrounded by the rabbies or doctors of the law, 
listening to and proposing unto them questions. 

What an awful sight was this, Christians, to see a child 
discoursing, at the age of twelve, upon the most sublime and 
important points of the law, in presence of the most learned 
men of the synagogue ! And what an opinion must the 
assembly have conceived of his riper years, from the immense 
knowledge and penetration which shined forth at that tender 
age in all his words ! The Gospel says, "that all those that 
heard him were astonished at his wisdom and answers." 

You are to observe, Christians, that the wisdom and 
knowledge of Christ Jesus did not grow up with his years, nor 
receive any gradual increase from his advancing in age — No ; 
this is the condition of created and imperfect beings, who 
never attain the perfection of their nature but by slow degrees 
and successive advances. "With Christ Jesus it was quite 
otherwise : As he was the Son of God, and the plenitude of the 
divinity residing within him, according to the expression of 
St. Paul, from the very first moment of his incarnation, he 
was at all times possessed of all the wisdom of the divinity. 
But this wisdom he was pleased to conceal, and only mani- 
fested some slender sketches of it, from time to time, during 
his private life, until he should appear in his public character, 
and then display the wisdom of his godhead, by the lustre of 
his miracles and the sublimity and irreprehensibility of his 
doctrine. Therefore, when the Gospel says, that as he 
"increased in age," he likewise "increased in wisdom," we are 
to understand thereby that he was pleased to give more 
frequent and more remarkable proofs of the infinite wisdom 
he was possessed of from the beginning. But the Gospel says, 
"he increased in grace." Here, O Christians! is the chief 
source of our instruction, the great model we should propose 
unto ourselves, in our deportment and conduct. Happy 
indeed would it have been, did the world allow us to discover 
an increase of grace with an increase of years among the little 



36 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



ones we behold in the streets of the city ! Carrying about them, 
in their form and endowments, the beautiful work of God, 
they scarcely know there is a God, but are conversant in the 
vices of our unhappy nature. Soon as they reach the use of 
speech, the thoughtless parent studies more to indulge the 
wandering fancies of their unhappy nature, than impress their 
tender hearts with the love of discipline, and a pious venera- 
tion of that Almighty Being for whom alone they were made ! 
In proportion as they advance in years, do they "increase in 
virtue T No. The child at twelve years of age, knows no 
law, but his liberty, no God but his immoral parents, who by 
their negligence and evil example, make one universal wreck of 
themselves and their unhappy posterity ? Beware, Christians : 
time rolls on without interruption : last year is past, the pre- 
sent is on the wing, the end of which no man can promise to 
himself. Where is the man that even purposes within him- 
self to lead this year a more Christian life than he did the year 
before 1 "Where is he that during any one year lays aside any 
one evil practice 1 

Behold, Christians, in Mary and J oseph, a beautiful model 
for parents, who are too apt to look upon their children with 
the eyes of the flesh, that is, with the sentiments of nature, 
without any regard to religion or the order of Divine Provi- 
dence. What they chiefly are anxious for, is, to behold their 
children esteemed or regarded in public, and placed in the 
prosperous conditions of the world. But what they should be 
mostly solicitous about, is to see them educated in the love 
and fear of God, and formed with such principles as may 
qualify and enable them to answer the views of Providence in 
the different stations of life. Any accident that happens a 
beloved child, any misfortune that may befall him, is enough 
to throw the parent into the deepest aflliction ; but should 
this darling child be unacquainted with the most essential 
duties of religion, should he prove extremely careless and 
negligent in his duties to God, it does not give the parents the 
smallest concern ! Why so 1 Because they always act 
from the sentiments of flesh aud blood alone, without once 
consulting the principles of religion. Were they governed 
by the Spirit of God, they certainly would take care that their 
children should be frequently employed in the things that 
concern their Heavenly Father, the great and universal parent 
of mankind. 

After the child Jesus had made his parents sensible of their 
error, he went home along with them, the Gospel says, " and 
was subject unto them." Can anything, Christians, be more 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



37 



astonishing than to see the Maker of heaven and earth, and 
Lord of all things — the Ruler of rulers, and King of kings — 
subject himself to the power and government of Joseph and 
Mary, not for a few days, or a few months, but for many long 
years 1 What an instance of humility and obedience is this ! 
There is nothing sits heavier on the mind of man, than subjec- 
tion of any kind ; but what should make the greatest subjec- 
tion easy, is the example of Christ. He was master of all, and 
consequently, had an undoubted right to command ; yet he 
would obey, because it was the will and appointment of 
Heaven. From a principle of religion, therefore, let us submit 
to the subjection we lie under in the different conditions of 
life. The lower ranks are subject to the higher, and the 
higher to superior conditions. Every station is in some 
measure subject to another; the servant to his master, the 
child to his parent, and the wife to her husband. Thus it is 
ordered by Almighty God, who requires a due respect and sub- 
mission from our hands — " obey the powers that are above 
you," saith St. Paul, " and that because all power is derived 
from above." 

This is the principle that the child Jesus was governed by, 
during his long subjection in Nazareth ; during which period 
he could have appeared in public, wrought a great many 
miracles, and converted whole nations, nay the entire world ; 
yet because that was not the will of his Heavenly Father, and 
that his hour was not as yet come, he remained contented in 
obscurity and retirement. Divines and doctors of the Church 
infer from this subjection of Christ Jesus, that godliness and 
perfection do not consist in performing great and conspicuous 
actions, such as draw the eyes and attention of the world; for, 
it is very plain, that Christ J esus was taken up with nothing 
very remarkable in his retirement, for near thirty years, at 
[Nazareth, and his example must certainly be the rule of all 
those that aspire to higher degrees of virtue. The most minute 
actions relating to our duty, and performed with the spirit of 
religion, contribute more to our advancement in virtue, and 
are more meritorious in the sight of God, than actions of the 
greatest splendour. For these actions may easily proceed from 
vanity, ostentation, or a desire of being noticed and considered 
in the world ; but when a person applies to the most minute 
observances of his duty, and studies to do them with the greatest 
perfection of which they can admit, it is evident this person 
has nothing in view but God, and the fulfilling of his holy 
law. Yet, Christians, how many are there who mind every 
hing but the essential duties of their own state 1 — that mind 



38 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



their own obligations barely from a worldly principle, without 
ever reflecting on the divine hand that had placed them in that 
situation of life, and requires at their hands the accomplish- 
ment of all the obligations attendant upon it 1 

What, then, have we to do, Christians'? To convince ourselves, 
1st, that our perfection consists in discharging punctually our 
duty in the station of life God has placed us in ; 2nd, in dis- 
charging our duty in every respective station with all the 
fidelity we are capable of, without going out of our sphere, or 
aiming at higher matters for the sake of human applause. By 
this means we shall copy after the example of Christ Jesus, who 
confined himself for thirty years to the lowest occupations in 
his retreat. By this means, likewise, our virtue will increase 
with our years, and procure us at length the rewards the 
Almighty God reserves for all his true and faithful servants, in 
his heavenly kingdom. Amen. 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

It is not to be doubted, Christians, but Christ J esus sanctified 
in a high degiee, and bestowed the most valuable blessings 
on the wedding at Cana in Galilee, to which he^was invited, 
and at which he condescended to assist, and even honour by so 
great a miracle, as turning a great quantity of water into wine. 
By sanctifying this wedding with his divine presence, he pre- 
pared the way, as the holy fathers observe, for the great 
dignity to which matrimony is raised in the New Law, or 
Christian dispensation. For St. Paul says, matrimony is a great 
sacrament in Christ, and in his Church ; from which words it 
plainly appears, that matrimony has acquired, from the appoint- 
ment and institution of Christ, a greater excellency than it had 
before, and this excellency consists in its being raised, in the 
New Law, to the dignity of a sacrament. 

In the law of Nature, or before the time of Moses, it was 
only a civil contract, that is, a legal convention or agreement 
between man and woman. From the time of Moses to the 
coming of Christ, it was a religious ceremony with regard to 
the Jews ; but since the coming of Christ, it is more than a 
civil contract, more than a religious ceremony — an actual 
sacrament ; that is, a sacred rite or performance which has the 
virtue, from the institution of Christ, of conferring divine 
grace. 

But what graces doth it confer] 1st, It confers an aug- 
mentation of habitual or sanctifying grace, or that grace 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



39 



which resides continually in the soul of every just man ; 2nd r 
It confers actual graces, or the particular aids which are 
necessary towards discharging the obligations of this state of 
life, and bearing patiently the hardships attendant upon it, 
such as the solicitudes of the world — bringing forth, educating, 
and providing for children — and the continual trials that result 
from continual subjection. 

Matrimony is not only a sacrament, but a great sacrament, 
as St. Paul declares. And how great 1 "In Christ and in 
his Church," he says ; that is, Christians : 1st — because ma- 
trimony was instituted to represent, and it naturally represents 
the spiritual alliance the Almighty God has been pleased to 
contract with mankind in general, in the person of Christ 
Jesus ; 2nd — because matrimony was instituted to represent 
the spiritual alliance Christ J esus had been pleased to contract 
with his Church, and all the faithful it is composed of all over 
the world ; for St. Paul says, " Christ hath loved his Church, 
and delivered himself for it ; " 3rd — because it was instituted 
for the noblest ends — the multiplication and propagation of 
rational beings to serve the Almighty in spirit and truth. 

It is from these reasons the same apostle says, that 
marriage is holy, or a state of sanctity and godliness. But 
how far is it looked upon in this light, even by the Christians 
of our days'? As marriage is a state of sanctity and godliness 
according to the declaration of St. Paul, two things necessarily 
follow ; the first, that people should never engage in it, but 
from the views of religion ; and the second, that after engag- 
ing they should behave according to the strictest rules of 
religion. But instead of this, people before engaging in the 
married state seldom or never consult the principles of re- 
ligion, or live up to them after engaging ; whence it happens 
that what is in itself, and the designs of Providence, a state 
of sanctity and godliness, is most commonly profaned by the 
greater part of mankind, so as to become a state of continual 
guilt. 

The first thing religion prescribes with regard to matri- 
mony is, that people engage in the marriage state with a pure 
conscience, or with a conscience free from sin ; for matrimony 
is a sacrament of the New Law, and, consequently, should be 
treated with the respect due to sacred things. To do other- 
wise is committing a most criminal and sacrilegious profanation 
of that sacrament, j which St. Paul calls "a great sacrament 
in Christ and in his Church." To prevent this sacrilegious 
profanation, the Church requires that those who are upon the 
point of engaging in the marriage state previously confess, in 



40 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY 



order to obtain that pureness of soul which is requisite for the 
sacrament, and the state of sanctity to which it gives admit- 
tance. But who is it ever thinks seriously of this great and 
indispensable obligation 1 ? Is not matrimony constantly 
looked upon at least as an indifferent ceremony by the 
greater part of the Christians of our days 1 How many are 
there that go, or would fain go, to the altar to be married im- 
mediately after a party of pleasure, without the least prepara- 
tion for, or reflection upon, the dignity of the sacrament, and 
the pious dispositions it requires? Even those who j)ay the 
greatest deference, and show the greatest veneration for every 
other sacrament, seem to make no account of matrimony ; 
nevertheless it is no less a sacrament ; no less instituted by 
the author of all sacraments, our blessed Lord and Redeemer, 
Christ Jesus; no less intended for great and spiritual purposes ; 
no less productive of great and spiritual blessings, than any 
other sacrament of the New Law. Why then is it, or should 
it be so constantly profaned, even by those who behave with 
respect in every other performance of religion 1 

How many are there, likewise, who receive this sacrament 
in a state of sin, engaging without previous and necessary 
consent from parents, or permission from the Church 1 As a 
proceeding of this kind is exceedingly sinful in the eyes of God, 
and a manifest sacrilegious profanation of the sacrament, what 
must the consequence be 1 Undoubtedly, Christians, perpe- 
tual hardships, disappointments, and troubles. For how is it 
possible for those to expect a blessing, who enter into the 
married state, which is a state of sanctity and holiness, by a 
most flagitious crime 1 Could we but pry into the secret 
judgments of the Lord, we certainly should find that receiving 
the sacrament of matrimony with a guilty conscience, in 
violation of the laws of God, and the laws of his Church, is 
the source of all the calamities that attend the many unfor- 
tunate marriages we daily see in the world. 

The second thing religion prescribes, with regard to matri- 
mony, is, that people be guided by the principles of religion 
in the choice they make. "Let the person that marries, ' ? 
St. Paul says, " marry in the Lord." From these words of St. 
Paul it follows, that what those who intend to engage in the 
married state should first propose unto themselves is, to make 
such a choice as may be most capable of leading them unto 
the Lord, by their good and virtuous qualifications. Did this 
great principle take place in most engagements, virtue, modesty, 
prudence, and good humour would always prevail over, and 
be constantly preferred before, the inferior and insignificant 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



41 



advantages of beauty or fortune. But is this the principle 
of those who mean to engage in the wedded state 1 No. 
Fortune alone is generally consulted on occasions of this kind. 
Provided the parties be rich and opulent in the world, all is 
well; although they should be destitute of every social and 
Christian virtue. Young persons of both sexes are daily 
disposed of to the highest bidder, in the very midst of 
Christianity, as slaves are transferred to those that are willing 
to purchase them at the highest value. Is it then surprising, 
Christians, that the greater part of marriage engagements 
should prove, as they generally do, not a state of happiness, as 
Providence intended them, but a state of perpetual misery, 
strife, and disunion. 

The third thing religion prescribes, with regard to matri- 
mony, is a punctual observance of the essential duties of that 
state of life, and a constant forbearance with the hardships and 
difficulties inseparable from it. "I would advise those that 
are single or unmarried, to remain so," St. Paul says; "how- 
ever, if thou hast taken a wife, thou hast not sinned ; nor has 
a virgin sinned if she has taken a husband ; but both of them 
will experience the tribulation of the flesh ;" that is, both of 
them will undergo a great deal of trouble and hardship in 
the world. And truly, Christians, what hardships must 
necessarily result from a continual subjection to a husband, 
the bearing of children, rearing, educating, and providing 
for a large and numerous offspring 1 But these very hardships 
make up the wedded duties of that state. It is by bearing 
with these hardships, and going through them with a spirit of 
religion, that people are sanctified, and, not only sanctified, but 
saved in the wedded state ; for St. Paul says (1 Tim. ii, 15), 
" The woman shall be saved through child-bearing," or by the 
care of her children. 

Therefore, as there" are very few, comparatively speaking, 
disposed to follow the advice of the apostle, by remaining 
single or unmarried, what all young persons should propose 
unto themselves is, to fulfil punctually, after engaging, all the 
obligations of the wedded state — fidelity, obedience, conde- 
scension, a constant application to the care of their family, and 
a proper, that is, a Christian education of their offspring. 
By this means they certainly will partake of all the great 
blessings the sacrament of matrimony is productive of-— 
joy, peace, and tranquillity in this life, and eternal happiness in 
the next. Amen. 



D 



42 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

The first thing we are to take notice of, with regard to this 
day's Gospel, is the miraculous cure our Saviour wrought 
upon a man afflicted with a leprosy, at his coming down from 
a mountain where he frequently went to instruct the 
multitudes of people who followed him. As soon as the 
man heard of our Saviour's coming down from the mountain, 
he immediately pierced the crowd that followed him, and 
threw himself prostrate before him, saying — "Lord, if thou 
wilt, thou canst make me clean." It was not only the desire 
of recovering his health that induced this sick man to apply to 
Christ Jesus ; he was likewise urged there by another power- 
ful motive — a strong inclination of being restored to the 
society and conversation of his countrymen and fellow-citizens. 
For you must know, Christians, that as the leprosy was a very 
hideous and infectious disorder, it was held in great abomina- 
tion among the J ews ; insomuch that it was not lawful for any 
one to touch those that were troubled with that disorder : and 
such as did touch them, contracted a legal uncleanness 
by which they were disqualified from entering into the 
Temple, or assisting at any . exercise of religion, until they 
were purified in the manner prescribed by the law. It is not 
then surprising that the sick man, who was not only destitute 
of help, but likewise cut off in some measure from all public 
society, made his application unto Christ Jesus, in the most 
earnest, humble, and confident terms : — Lord, if thou wilt, 
thou canst make me clean." Nor was he anyway deceived in 
his expectation ; for the moment he made his request, our 
Saviour stretched forth his hand and touched him, saying — 
" I will : be thou made clean ; and immediately he was healed 
from his leprosy." 

This leprosy, Christians, the holy fathers and doctors of the 
Church say is an image or emblem of the inward disorder sin 
creates in the soul of a Christian. For first, it disfigures the 
soul, by depriving it of the robe of innocence, and the bright 
ornament of grace. In this condition it must certainly be a 
most hideous object — an object of hatred and aversion in the 
eyes of God. Second — it weakens the soul and deprives it of 
all its spiritual strength and vigour ; insomuch, that a soul in 
the state of mortal sin is entirely incapable of doing any good 
work, anything that is meritorious of the grace of God and 
eternal life. Those who are in the state of sin may, indeed, 
pray, and sigh, and weep, and thereby obtain the graces of 
conversion ; but while they continue in this sinful state, they 



TJiIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



43 



can perform no actions of life, as they are dead in reality in the 
eyes of God, and deprived of his holy grace which enlivens 
our actions, and gives them all their merit. Can anything, 
Christians, be more deplorable than a situation of this kind 1 
Yet how many are there labouring under this deplorable 
situation, without being sensible thereof, or showing the least 
concern for it % Ah ! Christians, could we but rightly conceive 
what it is to be displeasing to God, and the object of his hatred 
and aversion, we would certainly use our utmost endeavours 
to withdraw ourselves from a situation of that kind in his sight. 
We would apply to Christ Jesus, who is the divine physician 
of souls, with as much earnestness and solicitude as the leper in 
this day's Gospel, beseeching him to cleanse us from the stains 
of sin, and the hideous marks and impressions it leaves in the 
soul, and likewise from the spiritual feebleness and langour 
we contract thereby. If we did apply sincerely to Christ 
Jesus for this purpose, it is not to be questioned, Christians, 
but he would hear us and heal our souls with the same bounty 
and goodness with which he healed the leper mentioned in this 
day's Gospel. But the misfortune is, that those who languish 
in a state of mortal sin have no thought of been cured. 
Their situation, dreadful as it is, is agreeable to their passions 
and the depravation of their corrupted nature; wherefore 
they choose to remain in the shades of death, rather than 
have recourse to Christ Jesus, the author of life, and eternal 
life. "What, then, will the consequence be? They must 
perish, and perish eternally, through their own fault and per- 
verseness. 

After our Saviour had cured the leper, by a miracle, he said 
unto him — "Take heed thou speakest not of it to any one." 
What an instance of humility is this ! Although the greatest 
praise and the greatest glory were justly due to our Lord and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ, on account of the very miracles he was 
daily working in favour of the distressed, yet he would 
decline publicly all honour and glory, in order to show and 
convince us, we should never seek for human applause in our 
actions, but offer them solely to Almighty God. And indeed, 
Christians, can anything be more reasonable % For what is it 
in man can be found worthy of praise and applause 1 Have 
we anything of ourselves but weakness, imperfections, and sin ] 
If any good you do, is it not the gift of God? "What have 
you," says the apostle St. Paul, "that you have not received V 
And if you have received it, why do you boast, as if you 
received it not 1 Although we should fulfil our duty in every 
respect (which I am very sure is far from being the case 



44 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



with the greater part of mankind) even then Christ Jesus 
desires us "to look upon ourselves as useless and unprofitable 
servants." 

When our Saviour had entered the little town of Caphar- 
naum, a centurion, that is, a Roman officer, who had a hundred 
men under his command, came and requested him, saying, 
"Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is 
much tormented:" to which our Saviour answered, "I will 
come and heal him." But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am 
not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof, command 
with a word only, and my servant will be healed. For I am 
a man also in power, having soldiers under my command, and 
I say to this man, go, and he goeth ; and to another, come, 
and he cometh ; and to my servant, do this, and he doth it." 
What the centurion meant by these words was, to show the 
high opinion he had of the power of Jesus. For they imply 
this much : — If I, who am no more than a mortal man, have 
authority enough to do whatever I think proper, by the means 
of those I have under my command, how much more must 
you, who are vested with the power of Almighty God, be able 
to do what you desire, and restore my servant to health by 
one single word 1 This was indeed, Christians, a most lively 
faith ; for which reason our Saviour was pleased to take notice 
of it publicly, and declare be had not met with so great faith 
in all Israel. But the public praise and commendation he was 
pleased to give the lively faith of the centurion, was, at the 
same time, a severe rebuke to the multitude of the Jews that 
were about him, who, notwithstanding his frequent instruc- 
tions, and the many miracles to which they were daily wit- 
nesses, had so little faith in him. This appears plainly from 
the following words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ : — 
"Many shall come from the east and the west, and feast with 
Abraham, and Isaac, and J acob, in the kingdom of heaven ; 
but the children of the kingdom shall be cast forth into 
exterior darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth." That is, Christians, the greatest strangers from 
the remotest parts of the earth, shall come and be converted, 
and after being converted, attain to eternal happiness, which 
is here represented under the image of a splendid and deli- 
cious banquet ; whilst the children of the kingdom, that is 
the Jews, who had the law and the prophets, and amongst 
whom the Messiah was born and appeared, shall be cast forth 
into exterior darkness, and excluded for ever from the society of 
Abraham, Isaac, aud Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. Can 
anything be more dreadful than this declaration of our Lord 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



45 



and Saviour, Jesus Christ 1 Let us consider how far it may 
concern each of ourselves in particular. We are, undoubtedly, 
the children of the kingdom, inasmuch as we have been 
" substituted to the Jews," as St. Paul declares ; born in, and 
publicly profess the faith of Christ ; but is it not very much 
to be feared, that from our own neglect in the service of God, 
we shall be cast into exterior darkness, whilst others shall be 
converted to the faith we profess, and by their fidelity to the 
law, step into the places that were designed for us in the 
kingdom of heaven 1 We profess the faith of Christ Jesus, it 
is true ; but do we live conformable to the maxims of this 
divine faith 1 If we do not, instead of contributing to our 
eternal happiness, it will only serve to bring us under a severe 
condemnation. For our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
declares that the unbelievers will be treated with less severity, 
at the last day, than those that heard of the name of Christ 
and rejected it ; or that received the law, and did not comply 
therewith. "What, then, are we to do, Christians 1 To behave 
as the children of the kingdom ; not only in believing Christ 
J esus, but to live according to our belief. If we do, we shall 
never be cast into exterior darkness ; but rather admitted to 
feast, for ever and ever, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; that 
is, with all the saints and elect of God, in the kingdom of 
heaven. Amen. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

The storm mentioned in this day's Gospel, in which the dis- 
ciples of our Lord were in the most imminent danger of perish- 
ing, inasmuch as the boat in which they were was covered all 
over with waves, is a lively image, the holy fathers say, of the 
many dangers and storms even the very just stand exposed 
to, on the boisterous ocean of this world. Though they sail 
under the direction of divine Providence, and, in some measure, 
in the company of Christ Jesus, yet they frequently meet with 
such violent conflicts as are sufficient to overwhelm their vir- 
tue, and drive them headlong to everlasting ruin. In a situa- 
tion of this kind they are necessarily filled, as well as the dis- 
ciples of our Lord, with the liveliest apprehensions, and forced 
to cry out unto Christ Jesus, " Save us, O Lord ; for we are 
upon the point of perishing." With regard to his disciples, 
Jesus Christ was indeed graciously pleased to allay their fears, 
by dispelling the storm, and suddenly calming the raging- 
waves : for the Gospel says, " that rising up, he commanded 



46 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



the winds and the sea ; and a great calm ensued." But this 
he is not always pleased to do, in reference to his greatest 
favourites, the just and good. On the contrary, he frequently 
leaves them, even during their whole life, exposed to many 
violent storms, temptations, and sufferings ; and although, in 
this dreadful situation, they may cry out unto him for relief, 
yet he seems to be asleep, as it is mentioned in this day's 
Gospel ; that is, deaf to their cries, and insensible of the mani- 
fold dangers that surround them. What can be the cause, 
Christians, of this extraordinary conduct on the part of 
Almighty God 1 ? Or how is it consistent with his infinite 
goodness to abandon, as it were, his most faithful servants in 
their highest distress? Is he either incapable of relieving 
them, or unwilling to grant them relief 1 Does he not see the 
extremities to which they are frequently drawn 1 And if he 
does, why doth he not rise up to command the winds and the 
seas ? Why doth he not dispel the storm, and restore peace 
and tranquillity to their disconsolate minds'? This is, Christians, 
the deep and impenetrable mystery of divine Providence ; but 
a mystery which must undoubtedly be grounded on the most 
solid and substantial reasons, on the part of God. For as he 
is governed by infinite wisdom, and justice, and goodness, in all 
his actions ; it is plain he must act from the same principles, 
in leaving the just amidst the sufferings and oppressions of the 
world. This alone, Christians, were enough, I think, to 
reconcile the inscrutable ways of Providence unto our thoughts: 
several reasons, however, may be assigned why the Almighty 
treats his friends with the greatest severity ; in appearance ; 
while the wicked and unjust are suffered to prosper mostly in 
all their designs and undertakings. 

The first reason why the Almighty God leaves the just 
exposed to the most violent storms of life, is to try their vir- 
tue and fidelity. It is an easy matter to be faithful to God 
while everything succeeds according to our wishes and desires. 
The most common and imperfect virtue will support itself in 
easy circumstances of this kind. But to adhere faithfully to 
the Lord, " when he stretches forth his hand and touches," 
(Job. i), — when the storm begins to rise — when violent temp- 
tations assail us on every side, requires, Christians, the most 
solid virtue, the most firm and unshaken constancy. Before 
we are tried, we do not know either our weakness or our 
virtue. In the absence of danger, we may think ourselves 
firm and immovable as the rock; but in the time of trial, 
we often feel and experience the reverse. " They come unto me 
for a time " saith our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, " but 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



47 



then they go away from me in the time of temptation." It is, 
therefore, Christians, in the time of temptation alone, that we 
can be satisfied of our having any share of virtue, any fear, or 
any love for God. And this is the reason why the royal 
prophet used frequently to address the Almighty God in the 
following manner : " try me, Lord, and sound my heart." 
" Look into the most secret affections and dispositions of my 
soul." Then shall my fidelity appear in its brightest colours ; 
then shall it be made known to the whole world how deeply 
thy holy law is imprinted on my heart. Now, Christians, 
what advantage must it not be for any one to know that he is 
united to God and faithful in his duty, though he be left 
alone to struggle and contend with the storms that agitate his 
life 1 

The second reason which induces the Almighty God to 
leave his friends, as he did his own disciples, in the greatest 
apprehensions of perishing, is to purify their virtue, and divest 
them of all earthly views and expectations. If wealth and 
prosperity were the necessary consequences of virtue, we should 
all love God, and serve him on this very account, with a view 
to the riches and happiness of this world. But the Almighty 
God will have us love him purely for his own sake. Where- 
fore he takes especial care to lead the just through such scenes 
of disappointments as must embitter every situation of life, 
and leave them no taste, no relish, no love or affection, but 
for God alone. This is what the prophet sets forth in one of 
his psalms, where, after tenderly but respectfully complaining 
of his continual misfortunes to the Lord, he concludes in the 
following manner, at that very time — "My soul refused all 
sort of consolation. I only thought of thee, Lord, and 
was comforted." 

The third reason why the Almighty leaves the just and the 
good in a continual state of trial and danger, is, to give them 
an opportunity of increasing their merits, and consequently 
their rewards in heaven. For without dangers and combats, 
there can be no victory — without trial no combat — without 
victory, no crown or reward. " No man is crowned," St. Paul 
says, " but he that fought properly." Is it not then, 
Christians, a real blessing to the righteous and just to be left 
in such situations as must put it continually in their way to 
make new and large additions to the glory that is reserved for 
them, in the kingdom of heaven, where, as our Saviour says, 
there are many mansions, that is, different degrees of happi- 
ness,| all proportioned to the various degrees of our merits 
upon earth 1 Or how can the just complain of that disposition 



48 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



of divine Providence, which for every moment of tribulation, 
bestows upon them, as the apostle says — " an eternal weight 
of glory in heaven V 

The fourth reason is, to compel and force the just, in some 
measure, to persevere to the end in justice and righteousness. 
"Were they to prosper continually in this world, and meet with 
little or no disappointments, they soon would follow the 
wicked ways of the world, and consequently abandon the 
Almighty God. But " as no one is to be saved," according to 
the express declaration of Christ Jesus, " but he that per- 
severeth unto the end," the Almighty God, in his infinite 
mercy, removes those dangers and temptation at a distance, 
which would infallibly seduce the just, and lead them astray 
from the ways of righteousness. He conducts them, as it 
were, by the hand, through the narrow and rugged paths of 
salvation ; whilst he suffers sinners to walk and run on cheer- 
fully, in the broad and enchanting way that leads directly to 
eternal perdition ! 

It cannot be denied, Christians, but a great many just men 
have flourished and prospered in the world. Witness the 
patriarchs of the Old Law, and many holy kings and princes in 
the £Tew. But then, these prosperous, just men were continu- 
ally apprehensive of the dangers to which they were exposed 
from this very prosperity ; and, in consequence of their appre- 
hensions, took the most effectual steps to secure their virtue, 
by practising, in the highest affluence, the severest law of self- 
denial and abnegation, and entertaining, in the greatest 
elevation of power, the humblest sentiments of a Christian mind. 
But as this would require a most extraordinary assistance 
and protection from heaven, the Almighty chooses, in general, 
to refuse the worldly advantages of wealth and prosperity; 
which are attended with the greatest dangers to salvation. 
The examples were few and only calculated to show the 
virtue and efficacy of the grace of God. 

What, then, are we to infer from the Gospel of this day 
Two things — the first, Christians, that we are to consider 
this world as a scene of continual war, in which we are inces- 
santly to engage and struggle with many powerful enemies, 
visible and invisible — the evil spirit, the w^orld, and the flesh ; 
or, to speak in the language of this day's Gospel, the world, 
as a boisterous ocean, on which we must meet with many 
furious and violent storms, that threaten nothing less than 
eternal ruin and destruction. Secondly, that we are to make 
it a rule to ourselves to cry out unto the Lord for assistance 
in the time of distress, as the disciples of Jesus Christ did 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



49 



when the waves were rushing in upon them, and upon the 
point of overwhelming the little vessel in which they were. 
Although he may seem to be asleep for a time, or insensible to 
our cries, he certainly will relieve us in the end, either by dis- 
pelling entirely the storm, or enabling us, by his holy grace, 
to overcome all the difficulties we may labour under. Thus 
it was, he behaved toward St. Paul ; for he assures us, that 
although he thrice had prayed the Almighty God to relieve 
him from a violent temptation, or " from the angel of Satan/' 
as he calls it, that was continually singing and tormenting 
him ; still the Almighty refused to deliver him from the 
tempting spirit ; but assured him at the same time, " that his 
grace was sufficient unto him : " or, in other words, that with 
the assistance of his grace, he could not only resist, but even 
conquer the evil spirit. Even this must be a great consolation 
to a just man, who means to persevere in justice, inasmuch as 
it is plain from thence, he can, by grace, not only withstand 
the various storms of this life, but even reach, at length, the 
delightful harbour of eternal rest and tranquillity. Amen. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

Nothing can be more instructive than the subject laid before 
us in the Gospel of this day, as it discloses, on one hand, the 
wisdom whereby the eternal God governs this world, and on the 
other, his abundant mercies towards mankind. " The king- 
dom of heaven," says Christ Jesus, "is likened to a man that 
sowethgood seed in his field; but while he was asleep, his enemy 
came and sowed tares upon the wheat." The field here means 
this world, where every country, every city, and perhaps every 
village bears justice to this parable — where the good and the 
bad, the elect and the reprobate, the wheat and the tares, 
grow up to maturity — the one planted by the finger of God, 
the other by the great enemy of man, the Devil. Distinctions 
here, it is true, are not seen, but those which arise from the 
policy of human laws or human inventions. That strict and 
rigorous justice which is the prerogative of the Almighty, is 
neither felt nor exercised here below : here his abundant 
mercies are his distinguishing attribute. This mercy disarms 
his justice, or no sin would remain one instant unpunished I 
The terrible exercise of his justice is awfully beheld in the 
sudden expulsion of the fallen angels, from the realms of light, 
to the everlasting abodes of horror ! One sin, and that only 
in thought, produced in an instant, the great lie volution in 



50 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



heaven, as stated by St. John — and behold the whole world is 
covered over with sinners, who move on as securely as if they 
had a license to sin, or that sin now was not so criminal as it 
formerly was ! But, Christians, God being essentially un- 
changeable, sin to him must ever be equally and invariably 
hateful ; but his abundant mercies disarm his justice in this 
life, in hopes, as the Spirit of God declares, in the 36th 
chapter of the prophet Jeremias, "that they may return every 
man from his wicked ways, and I will forgive their iniquity 
and their sin." This patient forbearance on the part of God, 
should be no reason why the sinner would delay ; but on the con- 
trary, the chief motive for a speedy repentance : for the angels 
are represented this day to be zealous to uproot the sin and 
the sinner. "Wilt thou that we go and gather it up?" "No," 
says the Lord, "lest perhaps gathering up the tares, you root 
up the wheat also together with it." The mysterious dis- 
pensation of Providence is here seen towards his elect here 
below, where the wicked are often seen to prosper, and to 
trample upon the virtuous and good. Were we to judge by 
appearances, we should even suppose, from the flood of joys 
and prosperity* which pours in upon sinners in this life, that 
they are the special friends of heaven, and that the virtuous, 
by the afflictions which grow around them, are the unfavoured 
part of the human race : but observe — " in the time of 
harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up the tares first, and 
bind them into bundles to burn; but the wheat gather ye 
into my barn." 

Such is the grand scene exhibited by the Gospel this day, 
wherein the tender mercies of the Lord towards sinners, ex- 
hibit the most striking figure — wonderful indeed is that 
patience he displays, and the desire he feels for the return of 
sinners to his friendship and grace ! All-sufficient in him- 
self, the Almighty finds, in the plenitude of his own excel- 
lence, the completest happiness, and expresses the same concern 
for our felicity, as if his were connected therewith, or in any 
ways dependent thereon. The dignity of the master disap- 
pears in the tender solicitude of the parent. His greatest 
care appears to be, to secure our eternal interests, even to the 
prejudice of his own. His paternal goodness causes the sun 
to shine and the rain to fall equally on all men. Tares grow 
up with the wheat : the saint and the sinner, the just and the 
unjust, the righteous and ungodly, grow up and intermix' in 
this world, where his benignity affords protection to all from 
winter colds and summer heats. If the ministers of his 
justice cry out, Lord, didst thou not sow good seed in thy 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



51 



field 1 How comes it then to be overspread with tares 1 Art 
thou willing that we go and gather them up together 1 "No," 
replies his .mercy, "let them both grow until the harvest." 
On account of the wheat he spares the tares. Mind that, you 
favoured ones of life ; you who imagine this world was made 
for Caesar, mind that ! Almighty God forbears with the 
wicked, even shelters them under the wings of his mercy, and 
suspends the punishment due to their crimes, that they may 
be converted and live. " The wicked are suffered to live," 
says St. Augustine, " that they may be amended, or that the 
virtues of the just may be tried and exercised by them." 
Every hour during their mortality, the Lord ceases not to call 
them a thousand different ways, sweetly and tenderly inviting 
them to return to their duties. But be astonished, O ye 
heavens ! how little regarded are his invitations — his rewards 
and punishments, his threats and promises, are generally 
slighted — men run on in the wicked ways of sin, unmindful 
and unfearful of the dreadful fate which is reserved for them 
during the boundless length of eternity ! You have been 
enemies to the Lord, by sin, for ten, twenty, perhaps forty 
years; did you but know "the gift of God," as Christ Jesus 
said to the Samaritan in the Gospel — did you but know the 
sentiments of affection, the bowels of mercy, which our 
Redeemer possesses towards those who are sincerely resolved to 
repent ; you, I say, who dare not so much as think of conver- 
sion, from the magnitude and heinousness of your sins, you 
certainly would have immediate recourse to the Redeemer of 
the world, who is ready, not only to wipe away all your sins, 
but moreover to enrich you with his choicest blessings. 

I cannot advance a stronger argument to show the readiness 
which our Lord displays, upon all occasions, in receiving to his 
mercy the greatest sinners, provided they return with contrite 
and humble hearts, than his wonderful patience in bearing with 
them during the long course of their iniquities. But superior 
to any argument are his own positive assurances of granting 
forgiveness to the greatest sinners ; and these assurances sup- 
ported by a thousand instances. Unhappy sinner, whoever 
you are, if Almighty God were not disposed to receive you into 
his mercies, would he have suffered you to act so long in opposi- 
tion to his commands 1 No : He would have crushed you, 
in your wicked course, the moment you were forming wicked 
designs. His thunders are uplifted in his all-powerful hands ; 
and did he let them fly where his justice directed, at once 
an end would come of your life and your iniquities; but 
his abundant mercies prevail, and bind up the arms of 



52 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



his justice. He seems to disregard the interests of his 
glory, in order to reclaim you to a better life, by repeated 
instances of bounty and patience. To those outward expressions 
of his goodness, I might add the inward touches of his holy 
grace, which awaken, alarm, and rouse up the salutary fear 
of eternal burning in hell-fire ; as also the absence of that 
peace and tranquillity, which the worldling is ever in pursuit of 
and never finds ; that content which is never felt by the 
avaricious or the miser ; and the delusion of those joys which 
the voluptuous and the sensual are ever grasping and never 
reaching. These disappointments, anxieties, and fears, which 
agitate and occupy the hearts of sinners, are so many calls 
of his mercy to the substantial joys and solid peace, which alone 
are to be found in a virtuous life, and which alone are enjoyed 
by the servants of the Lord ! 

But if Almighty God be infinite in mercy, he is equally so 
in justice. The day of reckoning will come — his justice must 
be satisfied — in the time of harvest he will say to the reapers, 
" Gather up the tares." At the end of life each man must 
appear, the sinner as well as the saint, at the judgment-seat of 
God ; and woe be unto those whom the Lord shall then order 
to be bound, in order to burn for all eternity. Such shall be 
the fate of all those who insult him now, by their immoral lives 
and multiplied crimes, unless they return to his sweet embraces 
by a true change of heart, before it is late — before it is late, I 
say, lest death cut short the thread of life, and then all is lost! 
Every moment should be mistrusted, and guarded against by the 
sinner, because the fatal stroke is always ready, and yet con- 
cealed from view ! as in the time past, every instant might have 
been the period of our existence, so in the time to come, every 
instant may become the beginning of our eternity. The morning 
will surely come when we shall not see the evening, or the 
evening shall come when we will not see the morning. — This 
awful period may now be near at hand ! 

Many reasons press on me to show the necessity of immediate 
conversion ; but I will argue with sinners in their own way, 
and see what grounds they stand upon who protract their con- 
version to the end of life, and rely then upon special aids 
from heaven. 

To consider the security wherein the enemies of God (by that 
word I mean all sinners) live, one should suppose they were 
masters of their days, and had futurity at their disposal. 
We know, notwithstanding, that nothing is more uncertain 
than life, whether we consult reason, religion, or experience. 
Reason tells us that life depends on the inward disposition of 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



53 



the corporal frame ; on the harmony and concurrent action of 
its different parts, whereof many are so finely drawn, and of 
so delicate a texture, that a slight accident, a mere nothing, 
is often enough to disturb the motion, and destroy the powers : 
so that it becomes really wonderful, from the delicacy of the 
organs whereon life depends, and the manifold accidents 
whereunto we are liable, that sudden deaths are not more 
frequent — and this surprise increases, when we consider the 
numberless physical complaints to which we are liable ; 
besides the adventitious evils of unwholesome air, hard labour, 
violent exercise and intemperate excess — Life is, at most, but 
a small portion of air, which is continually circulating within 
us, until it finds a proper passage to issue out and take 
its flight. And is this life that solid foundation whereon to 
build the hopes of future conversion % Is this the well-bound 
raft whereon to risk, in the tempestuous ocean of life, our 
souls, our eternity, our hopes, and our all? Deluded sinners, 
you imagine you will have time to repair the immoralities of 
your past life, and return unto the Lord your God ; but did 
you ever consult your reason on this head 1 did you ever survey 
with care the many dangers which surround you on every side] 
did you ever examine the texture of those parts which are the 
essential props of life 1 ? You did not surely, or you would 
have seen how slight and precarious were your grounds for 
dependence. 

The sinner's dependence on future conversion appears still 
more perilous, from the assurances given by religion that 
" death shall come like a thief at night : Ye know not 
the day or hour — be prepared for judgment without mercy 
shall fall upon all sinners, as the Gospel this day assures you ; 
" bind up the tares to burn." The apostles exhibit the same 
truths in their writings; and the ministers of Christ Jesus 
daily proclaim the evils of delayed conversions ; and still you 
may dream away life in the very arms of death, under the false 
idea of returning to the Lord on a future day. You make a 
traffic of salvation, by casting plans for future times. Turn 
your eyes about, consult experience, and behold what havoc, in 
a few years, death has made among your friends and acquain- 
tances — consult the bills of mortality, they will support the 
truth I now advance, that nothing is more uncertain than the 
hour of death ; and equally true it is, that on death your lot 
for eternity depends. If, therefore, heaven or hell must be 
the eternal destiny of every one, if this destiny depends on a 
good or bad death, if the circumstance and period of 
death be veiled up in impenetrable darkness, it follows 



54 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



that we should not delay one instant our conversion to the 
Lord our God ; for although our God is abundant in mercies, 
he is still a jealous God — jealous that those mercies which he 
now offers should be slighted, because his justice may withhold 
them from the sinner hereafter. 

Besides, the folly of protracting conversion to a late period 
is increased by the obstacles to conversion, and the difficulties 
which old age and infirmity present. To macerate the body 
by wholesome penance, to chastise it for its rebellion and 
criminal gratifications by fasting, is not easy done at a time 
when all the powers of nature call for indulgence and support. 
Penance being a satisfaction due to divine justice for sin, and 
absolutely necessary, in youth becomes difficult, and in old 
age almost impossible. This conduct is also marked by injus- 
tice and ingratitude, in devoting the last, least, most feeble 
and most uncertain part of life to the service of the Lord, 
in return for all the blessings heaped on you for many years. 
Attend, therefore, to the counsel of the Holy Ghost : " Be 
mindful of your Creator in the days of your youth." But 
if his counsels are insufficient, listen to his threats : " Dela}^ 
not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to 
day ; for his wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of 
vengeance he shall destroy thee." — Eccl. And in Pro v. i. — 
" I have called upon you, and you would not listen to me. I 
have stretched out my hands, and you would not regard me. 
You have despised all my counsels, and neglected my repre- 
hensions; therefore I will laugh at your destruction; and 
when you shall call upon me in your turn, I will be deaf to 
your cries." How terrible is all this ! — The same says Christ 
Jesus in the Gospel: — "Ye shall seek me, and ye shall not 
find me ; and ye shall die in your sins." Thus it is that God 
threatens to deal with sinners in their last extremity, who 
during life neglect the time of their visitation — the gracious 
calls and mercies offered to them. This made the great St. 
Augustine say : " Penance done by a sick man is sick, and 
that done by a dying man, I fear is also dead — for he seldom 
dies well who lived ill." Common observation confirms these 
remarks of St. Augustine : when sinners come to that extremity, 
and lie agonizing between heaven and hell, under the stroke 
of divine judgment, seldom are they so sensible of the wicked- 
ness, or so efficaciously touched with the remorse of a sincere 
sorrow for their past crimes, as they are distracted with the 
terrors of an approaching death, and the dark visionary appre- 
hensions of what is to come — the pains and agonies both of 
mind and body, together with the heaviness and stupidity 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



55 



caused by sickness, even when the use of reason is not entirely 
taken away (as frequently happens in fevers), are enough to 
disqualify sinners, in a great measure, from applying their 
thoughts seriously to the important affair of their soul's salva- 
tion. In such condition, generally speaking, they do but dis- 
charge themselves of burthensome reflections, as mariners do of 
the cargo of a ship that has sprung a leak. Everything is 
done in a hurry, and with precipitation : sinners only part 
with their sins in the one case, as those mariners do with their 
goods in the other — to pick them up again when the leak is 
stopped or the storm appeased ! 

Supposing now that a sinner, by a long life and creeping 
infirmity, should have the time, will he obtain the grace of 
perfect repentance at the end of life % That is a question too 
presumptuous to answer in the affirmative : for Christ Jesus 
declares, " No man can come to me unless he be drawn by my 
Father." How 1 — by grace. Now grace being the choicest gift 
that God confers on man, in general, it is reserved for the special 
friends of heaven. To sinners he offers, nay presses them by the 
preachers of the Gospel to accept, the graces of conversion and 
forgiveness — but will our good God, think you, perform the 
greatest of all miracles to the dying sinner, in bestowing the 
grace of a true conversion, when this grace, during a long life, 
has been constantly offered on the one hand, and constantly 
rejected, despised, and trampled on, on the other ? Do not 
deceive yourselves — a true conversion at the point of death, 
under the circumstances that I have just touched upon, is 
almost equally unfrequent in the Christian world, as the 
appearance of a comet in the planetary system. Appearances 
of penance, it is true, may then be strong ; but these appear- 
ances are scarcely ever grounded on the love of God. " The 
cries of a dying sinner," St. Augustine remarks, " are not those 
of one who forsakes sin, but whom sin forsakes ; who trembles 
not for the injury he has offered the Lord by his crimes, but 
for the punishment ready to avenge those crimes." 

In cases where penance is to be begun at the end of life, 
men should exert all their powers in bewailing their sins, and 
calling earnestly for mercy through Christ Jesus, as one 
drowning should grasp the twig or bulrush when no other 
chance of safety remains — but as none but a madman would 
plunge into a whirlpool, because a twig or a bulrush presents 
the bare possibility of an escape, so none but madmen will 
trust their salvation to a death-bed repentance. The honour 
of Almighty God seems bound to check the insolence of those, 
by refusing them mercy, who constantly refused and spurned 



56 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



it during life ! And, let me ask, do they not justly deserve 
to be abandoned by God at the hour of death, who abandon 
him during life, and despise the riches of his goodness and 
mercy ! Is it to those who deserve it least, that God will 
show the greatest favours ? Is it to the most audacious and 
ungrateful sinners that he will be the most indulgent 1 Is it, 
I say, to be supposed, that, after walking on boldly in the 
road of perdition, the sinner shall snatch heaven in a moment, 
when the best of Christians scarce attain to it after many 
years 1 Mercy indeed may come at the last gasp ; but what 
right have you to expect that your death will obtain that 
favour, whose life earned nothing but anger, or who cease to 
sin only when the power of sinning is taken away 1 Be not 
deceived, Christians, God despises those late conversions, 
which the dread of hell, not the love of justice, produces 1 

Far am I from fixing limits to the unbounded mercies of 
the Lord, or of denying that late conversions may happen, and 
have happened, although we know of none. Should you tell 
me here, the good thief at his last hour was received into 
favour, I deny that point, and maintain, with the great St. 
Augustine, it was not his last, but his first hour ; inasmuch as 
he was never illumined before with the light of faith. But the 
glorious light of faith has shone on you since the dawn of 
life ; and your duties have been laid before you by the 
preachers of the Gospel — that Gospel this day thunders out, 
the tares shall be bound and burnt : sinners who resist or 
slight the mercies of God, shall be cut off in their sins, and 
bound for ever in hell. " But the wheat bring into my barn:" 
all you who this day forsake sin, and bend your necks under 
the sweet yoke of Christ Jesus, shall be received, after this 
uncertain life, into the bright mansions of his glory in heaven. 
Amen. 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

By the two parables mentioned in the Gospel of this day, we 
are to understand the rise, establishment and progress of the 
Christian religion. It is called the kingdom of heaven, because 
by this divine establishment or law, Almighty God rules over 
the hearts of mankind ; and because by the observance of this 
divine law alone mankind can attain the kingdom of God. It 
is the Christian religion that has established the spiritual 
empire of Christ Jesus upon earth : it is likewise the Christian 
religion that points out the way to, and supplies us with the 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



57 



necessary means for obtaining that heavenly entire, which is 
the inheritance of the true and faithful disciples of Christ, and 
therefore very justly called the kingdom of heaven. This 
religion, which is called in the Gospel the kingdom of God, 
was very inconsiderable at first, being confined to a few persons 
of no figure or authority — the apostles of Christ ; and known 
only in one single spot of the earth — the city of Jerusalem. 
From these slender beginnings it arose gradually to such a 
pitch of greatness and splendour, as struck the whole world 
with wonder and amazement. Not unlike the rising day, 
which at dawn is scarcely discernible to the sharpest eye, it 
began to grow bright, still brighter, until at length it cast 
such a blaze as drew the attention and admiration of all man- 
kind ! For this reason our Saviour compares it to a grain of 
mustard-seed, which although it be one of the smallest of all 
grains that are sown in the earth, often shoots up in warm 
countries, where it is cherished by the genial heat of the sun, 
into a lofty and branchy tree, so as to afford shelter and 
cover to the very foYvls of the air. And this is the reason 
why it is also compared to a small portion of leaven, which 
has the virtue to ferment, and by fermenting, swell a small 
quantity of flour into a large and considerable mass. 

Nothing indeed, Christians, can be more wonderful than the 
establishment and progress of the Christian faith. Although 
it was confined in the beginning to a very few, and those few 
poor, obscure, and illiterate, and shut up within the walls of 
J erusalem • yet it soon spread into the neighbouring parts ; 
and from the neighbouring parts into the adjacent countries ; 
and from the adjacent countries into the remotest parts of the 
earth ; insomuch that St. Paul could justly boast that the 
Christian religion had been spread, even in his days, all over 
the world. The hand of God, and his hand alone, undoubt- 
edly accomplished this great work, as must visibly appear to 
any candid person who impartially considers the event. For 
what was to be done in order to establish the Christian 
religion upon earth 1 For this purpose it was necessary to 
abolish the superstitions of the Pagan religion ; to remove the 
prejudices and errors of mankind ; to give them new maxims 
and new sentiments : in a word, to change the whole face of 
the earth. In this great work, it was necessary to contend 
with the abuses of power, the wisdom of philosophers, the zeal 
of idolaters, and the corruption of libertines and unbelievers. 
But how could all this be compassed by a few men, who had 
neither learning, nor credit, nor fortune, nor friends, to 
support them % Undoubtedly it could not, if the Almighty 



58 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



God had not interfered, and brought about by his infinite 
power the accomplishment of the prophecy which Christ Jesus 
pronounced in the Gospel of this day, saying, " The kingdom 
of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard-seed, which when 
sown is the smallest of all grains ; but afterwards shoots up 
into a lofty tree, so as to afford shelter to the birds of the 
air." 

The visible change that appeared in the world upon the 
establishment of Christianity proves it came from God, and 
was the work of God. What adds to this, certainly, is the 
nature and character of that religion which was established 
upon the ruins of idolatry all over the world ; the sublimity 
of its mysteries, the purity and severity of its morals ; for did 
the Christian religion offer nothing to our belief but what is 
clear and conceivable, did it prescribe nothing but what is 
pleasing to nature, it might have been established in the world 
without any extraordinary difficulties. But, Christians, it is 
quite the reverse; for it contains many deep and profound 
mysteries which surpass all human comprehension, and pre- 
scribes many severe duties which are repugnant to human 
nature in the highest degree — humility, mortification, for- 
giveness, the love of our greatest enemies, a spirit of disinter- 
estedness, a contempt of riches, and a constant resolution of 
sacrificing our fortunes and our lives, rather than trangress 
any one material point of the law. And yet this law, so 
repugnant to human nature, so contrary to all the sentiments 
of flesh and blood, which is grounded on the cross, and preaches 
up nothing but the cross, was received, embraced, and professed 
by all mankind, in a very short space of time, owing to the co- 
operation of the powerful hand of God. Other religions have 
indeed made a great progress in the world. That of Mahomet, 
in particular, has overrun a great part of the earth ; but this 
religion is grounded on the grossest ignorance, as it forbids 
the use of letters, favours the passions, tolerates the most 
licentious disorders, and was besides supported by violence, 
and propagated by fire and sword. Therefore it cannot be 
surprising it should have met with a kind reception from the 
ignorant and the corrupted part of mankind. But that the 
Christian religion, which restrains every passion, condemns 
every disorder, and forbids even the least criminal thought or 
desire, should be propagated and established amongst man- 
kind, without any other arms, as St. Paul says, than the 
virtue of the cross of Christ, and amidst the most violent 
persecutions that could be raised by the fury of tyrants or the 
rage of hell, is really surprising in the highest degree ; so 



SIXTH SUNDAY AF1ER EPIPHANY. 



59 



that we may justly admire with the apostle, St. John, "the 
great victory which our faith has gained all over the world ! " 

These are, Christians, the foundations or the strong and 
undeniable reasons which prove that the Christian religion is 
the work of God — because if it had not been the work of God 
it could never have been established among mankind, from 
the opposition it has to all the notions and sentiments of man. 
Now, if the Christian religion be the work of God, as it evi- 
dently is, it necessarily follows its mysteries are true, and its 
laws holy and just ; because Almighty God, who is the essen- 
tial and eternal Truth, the Author and Source of all justice 
and holiness, could not support or authorise anything* incon- 
sistent with truth, justice, and holiness. It follows, also, that 
the promises and threats contained in the Christian religion 
must necessarily come to pass, as they are the declarations of 
Christ Jesus, the Son of God. These promises and threats con- 
sist in eternal happiness for all those who fulfil the laws of 
Christ ; and eternal misery and pain for all those who refuse 
fulfilling the laws of Christ. We have all embraced and daily 
profess the Christian faith. We call ourselves Christians, and 
glory in being so called by the rest of mankind. But are we 
deserving of so glorious a name 1 No, unless we fulfil the 
laws of Christ, and square our actions by the maxims of h is 
Gospel. You, who style yourselves Christians, do not deceive 
yourselves; you possess the shadow not the substance, the 
figure not the reality, the name not the character of Chris- 
tians, whilst Pagan vices disgrace your actions — avarice, con- 
tention, dishonesty, haughtiness, arrogance, and dissoluteness. 
Answer me now, how are these reconcileable with the maxims 
of the faith you profess, which preaches up nothing but 
humility, self-denial, justice, godliness, and pureness of soul 1 

Christians ! Christians ! can anything be more capable of 
filling us with shame and confusion in the eyes of the Lord, 
than to consider the divine religion we profess, which con- 
verted and sanctified the whole world ; and in the place of 
error, superstition, oppression, and dissoluteness, substituted 
truth, religion, charity, and reservedness ; insomuch that the 
primitive Christians were distinguished by the name of Saints 
— to consider that this divine religion has made no impression 
on our minds, no alteration in our life or actions these many 
years past ! What can be the cause of such extreme insen- 
sibility on our parts 1 It is this — because you are Christians, 
you vainly flatter yourselves with a false security ; but I tell 
you, on the part of Almighty God this day, that nothing will 
put you in possession of that glory which Christ Jesus has 



60 



SEPTUAGESIMA. 



purchased for you on the cross, or screen you from this terrible 
justice in hell-fire, but by looking into and discharging the 
duties incumbent on you all as Christians. Looking into the 
obligations of your faith will shew you that professing the 
Christian religion, without fulfilling its holy laws, instead of 
being an advantage, is, on the contrary, the greatest mis- 
fortune imaginable ; because Christ Jesus assures us in the 
Gospel, that the Heathens themselves will be treated with less 
severity the last day, than those who believed in Christ, and 
did not fulfil his laws. 

It remains for us, therefore, to be extremely thankful to 
God for having called us to the faith of Christ, which is the 
only way to the kingdom of heaven, as Christ Jesus says, 
"This is life everlasting, that they know thee, O Heavenly 
Father ! and whom thou hast sent, Christ Jesus : " and in the 
second place, to form a strong resolution of living up to our 
faith, in a manner becoming Christians ; and the Lord God 
will surely reward our faith, and crown our good works for a 
little time on earth, with eternal joys in heaven. Amen. 



SEPTUAGESIMA. 

"Ite et vos in vineam meam." 

"Who is this master of a family who went out early in the 
morning, to hire workmen into his vineyard 1 Jesus Christ 
himself, who came down from heaven to point out to us the 
paths of eternal happiness. The vineyard is the faith of 
Christ ; the workmen, all those that adhere to the faith of 
Christ ; the labour, the observance of the law of God, and the 
sanctification of the soul ; the hire, eternal happiness. Heaven, 
Christians, is a reward ; and the reward of the faithful work- 
man alone, as appears from these words of Christ Jesus, 
" Your reward shall be great in heaven." We have been all 
called to this vineyard of the Lord ; but what have we done 
in it ? Let each of us, Christians, turn his thoughts inwardly 
upon himself, and examine how he has laboured in this vine- 
yard of the Lord, since he arrived at the years of discretion. 
Have we fulfilled, constantly, the laws of our God — the com- 
mandments of his Church % Have we constantly applied to 
the essential duties of every Christian in general and the 
essential occupation of each one's station in particular 1 ? 
Christians, have we not been rather, of the number of those 
slothful and indolent workmen, who stood idle in the market- 
place all the day long] If we do ourselves justice, we 



SEPTUAGESIMA. 



61 



certainly must acknowledge, that we have not spent one single 
day of our whole lives in the vineyard of the Lord — that is, in 
serving God, and improving our souls in virtue and godliness. 
This is undoubtedly the case with a great many of the Chris- 
tians of our days ; for, let me ask yourselves, can anything be 
more common than to see persons of both sexes, spending 
whole days, very often their whole life, in idle amusements, 
unprofitable visits, insignificant conversations, dangerous, if 
not sinful, recreations 1 Is this labouring in the vineyard of 
the Lord 1 Is this leading a Christian life % Is this living 
comformably to the maxims of Christ Jesus 1 or comformably to 
the very dictates of natural reason ! Undoubtedly not ; for 
the maxims of Christ inform us, "we are to do good while we 
have the time to do it and that nothing can be more pre- 
cious than the time we throw away, inasmuch as every 
moment thereof, when well employed, is capable of procuring 
for us an eternal weight of glory in heaven. Reason tells us 
that the Almighty God must have had some view or design in 
introducing us into this world, which certainly must be quite 
inconsistent with the useless and unprofitable life a great many 
are seen to lead — and what is still more astonishing is, that 
persons of this character seem to make no account of the idle- 
ness they live in, and imagine they are no ways answerable for 
it in the eyes of God. But how can they forget that idleness 
was always held amongst the capital sins 1 Besides, does not 
Christ Jesus assure us in the Gospel, "there is not an idle 
word we drop, but we are accountable for in the sight of God?' 
and, if so, how much more must we be accountable at the tri- 
bunal of Christ for a long and empty course of a long and 
empty life % 

It is not to be questioned, Christians, but that idleness, in 
general, is extremely criminal in the sight of God. But when 
and how far is it criminal'? It is always a crime when it 
makes us omit any one essential obligation of religion, such as 
prayer, and the worship of the Lord, in the sacrifice of the ISTew 
Law ; that is, should we neglect, through idleness, to pray as 
often as we are obliged, or assist at the sacrifice, or inform our 
minds of the necessary duties of religion. 2nd. — It is always 
a crime when it makes us omit any one essential obligation 
relating to our different states in life. Thus a parent is cer- 
tainly guilty of a crime as often as he neglects taking proper 
care of his children and family ; and a master or mistress } of 
their servants, or others, who may be committed to their care. 
3rd. — Idleness is always criminal when it is so great as to pre- 
vent our applying to some serious occupation that may be 



62 



S E PTU AG ESI MA. 



necessary for the preservation of virtue ; for, be pleased to ob- 
serve, that as the mind is an active principle, it can never be 
at rest : it must be employed in good or in evil. If it be not 
employed in good, it will certainly decline to evil ; therefore, 
to prevent its declining to evil, it is necessary it be taken up 
with some good and serious occupation; "for idleness," the 
Holy Ghost declares, "is attended with a long and numerous 
train of evils and mischiefs." Let us, therefore, Christians, 
attend the call of Christ ; let us enter his vineyard and work 
strenuously therein — every man according to his capacity and 
situation in life ; that is, let us apply strenuously to the great 
and important business of our salvation, by giving all our ap- 
plication to the duties of religion, in the first place ; and next, 
the duties attendant upon our respective stations in the world. 
O Christians ! have we no sins or offences to atone for ? no 
graces or blessings to obtain % no dangers or difficulties to fore- 
see or guard against 1 no duties to learn 1 none to fulfil % Let 
us therefore employ that precious time we incessantly misspend, 
in doing penance for our sins ; in suing for and obtaining the 
blessing of heaven ; in considering of, or taking just measures 
to avoid the manifold dangers of life : let us do this, and cer- 
tainly we will have very little time to spare. "What does it 
avail a man," saith our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus, " to 
gain the whole world, if he should lose his soul V "All the 
rest will fade away," the prophet says, "like a blade of grass 
before the sun ; " but nothing can make one amends for the loss 
of his soul. Nevertheless, Christians, have we not been often 
in danger of losing our immortal souls, and beholding ourselves 
condemned to everlasting punishments 1 Let us, then, no 
longer run such dreadful risks ; but betake ourselves timely to 
the vineyard of the Lord — that is, bend all our thoughts and 
application towards the salvation of our souls. By this means 
we can make amends for all our past negligence and idleness ; 
for we are assured in this day's Gospel, that those that came at 
the last hour received as much as they that worked from the 
first hour, and bore all the burden of the heat and day. For 
the Almighty God does not compute our services from the 
length of time, but from our good will, and the fervency of 
the heart, as appears from these words of holy writ : "God 
loveth him that giveth cheerfully." If, therefore, we repent 
sincerely of our past sloth and negligence, and spend the last 
hour, that is, the remainder of our lives, in the service of God, 
practising virtue and godliness, we certainly will receive as 
great a reward as those that laboured in the vineyard of the 
Lord from the very first hour. Nay, it may happen that we 



SEXAGESIMA. 



63 



surpass them by many degrees ; for we read in this day's 
Gospel, "The last shall be first, and the first last;" which 
means that those who betake themselves late to the service 
of the Lord, very often, by a great fervency of spirit, a pure 
and exalted love of God, and a constant application to do all 
the good that comes in their way, rise to a higher degree of 
virtue and godliness, acquire greater merits, and, of con- 
sequence, become entitled to a greater share of glory and hap- 
piness in the kingdom of God than those who serve him from 
the beginning, but with negligence, tepidity, and slothfulness of 
spirit. 1 

Should not this consideration alone, Christians, spur us on 
to the practice of virtue and piety 1 ? But what should still 
urge us more powerfully thereto, is the following words of 
Christ Jesus — " many are called, but few chosen." Deluded 
by a fatal indolence, we are apt to flatter ourselves safe : and 
rest as though secured with regard to salvation. Born in the 
bosom of the Catholic Church, professing the faith of Christ, 
enjoying daily the benefits of religion, prayer, the sacraments, 
and the sacrifices ; yet Christ Jesus assures us, that though 
many are called, yet but few are chosen. Are we, Christians, 
of the number of those that are called and chosen ? Or of those 
that are only called and not chosen? This is, Christians, a 
mystery impenetrable to all mankind. One thing, however, is 
certain, that if we work strenuously in the vineyard of the 
Lord ; that is, fulfil faithfully the law of God ; if we avoid evil 
and do good, we certainly will receive the reward of all true 
and faithful servants — the grace of God in this life, and eternal 
happiness in the next. Amen. 



SEXAGESIMA. 

It was the custom of the learned of old, in the eastern parts 
of the world, to speak by parables ; that is, by figures and 
comparisons. The prophets, and even Christ Jesus himself, 
was pleased to make use of the same manner of conveying his 
thoughts and delivering his instructions to the people; and 
although the figures under which the moral instructions were 
couched were plain and intelligible of themselves, yet as they 
were addressed to a very ignorant crowd, they frequently 
stood in need of explanation. And this is the reason, Chris- 
tians, why the disciples of our Lord entreat him, in the 
Gospel of this day, to expound the parable of the sower, or 
husbandman, that went out to sow his seed. To his disciples 



64 



SEXAGESTMA. 



he granted the explanation they sought for ; because, as he 
says himself, " it was given unto them to know the mysteries 
of the kingdom of God but at the same time refused 
explaining the parable to the crowd, " that seeing, they might 
not see, and hearing, they might not understand." 

This is indeed a most dreadful declaration ; inasmuch as it 
plainly imports that the words of life, Christ Jesus was pub- 
lishing aloud, were to make no impression on the minds of the 
greater part of his hearers ; so that what was to be to others 
a source of life, was to be unto them a source of eternal perdi- 
tion. But what was the cause, Christians, of this extraordinary 
proceeding on the side of Christ Jesus 1 Was it owing to want 
of charity or benevolence towards the crowd 1 Undoubtedly it 
was not, as he was daily informing them of the ways, and dis- 
pensing amongst them the words of eternal life. What, then, 
was it owing to ? To the perverseness of his hearers, who had 
already abused many of his instructions, and would likewise 
abuse the explanation of the parable mentioned in the Gospel 
of this day. Christ Jesus was willing to give them sufficient, 
nay, abundant light to distinguish the ways of heaven, and 
attain to eternal happiness; but would not continually be 
throwing pearls before swine, as he styles it himself ; or, in 
other words, continually lavish the most valuable graces 
on persons who showed themselves unworthy of them in the 
highest degree. 

These valuable graces he reserved for his own immediate 
disciples, who, he knew, would make the proper use of them; 
and one of these graces was the explanation of the parable in 
question: wherefore he let his disciples know, that the seed 
which the sower or husbandman went out to sow, was the word 
of God ; and consequently the sower or husbandman, the Son 
of God, who by himself or his apostles dispersed the words of 
life all over the world ; the ground in which the seed was sown, 
are the persons that hear the divine word ; that a great part 
of the seed is lost, either by falling on the way side, where it 
is trodden upon, and picked up by the birds of the air ; or on 
stony ground, where it has neither moisture enough to nurture 
it, nor earth enough to take root ; or amidst thorns, where it 
is choked up, and hindered from coming to maturity : that is, 
as our blessed Saviour has explained it, that the heavenly seed 
of the divine word is often lost in the hearts of those that hear 
it ; either by the suggestions of the evil spirit that banish the 
instructions from their minds, and root them from their hearts ; 
or the sterility and corruption of their own nature, which doth 
not nourish the divine word, but rather lets it wither and 



SEXAGESIMA. 



65 



decay; or the cares and riches and pleasures of this world, 
which stifle the divine word within them, and hinder it from 
shooting into fruit. 

And is not this visibly the case with a great many of our- 
selves 1 How often, Christians, has the heavenly seed of the 
divine word been sown in our heart 1 How many instructions 
have we received from our very infancy, upon the duties and 
obligations of religion, the love of God, the fear of the 
Lord, and the observance of his holy law 1 A thousand times 
the saving truths of salvation have been laid before us, in the 
clearest and strongest light. A thousand times have we been 
told of the necessity of serving God ; the rewards he has 
promised to all those that love and serve him ; and the eternal 
torments he has decreed against all the guilty transgressors of 
his law. But what fruit has this divine seed produced in our 
hearts'? Did it yield a hundred fold, like that part of the 
seed which fell upon rich and fruitful ground 1 Or did it not 
rather wither immediately and decay, through our own neglect 
and ungodliness % During these instructions, we propose 
within ourselves, to be ever more faithful to God and our 
duty ; but the instruction is no sooner ended than we return 
to our former ways. Let us, therefore, humble ourselves in 
the presence of Almighty God, and acknowledge with confusion, 
sorrow, and compunction, the ill use we have made of the 
manifold instructions we have received, during the whole course 
of our lives, with regard to salvation. For these instructions, 
Christians, are so many graces which the Almighty has graci- 
ously granted us, in preference to thousands of others, who 
certainly would have turned them to the greatest advantage 
for their souls ; and, consequently, graces we must answer for 
at the tribunal of God. What answers, Christians, will we be 
able to make unto the Almighty God, when he shall bring us 
to an account for the many instructions we have received, in 
point of religion, virtue, and devotion, during the whole course 
of our lives 1 Shall we not then meet with the same reproaches 
which Christ J esus made formerly to the Jews, who took little 
notice of the words of life he had so often delivered unto them, 
saying, " Woe be unto you, inhabitants of Corozain ! If the 
same signs which have been wrought amongst you, had been 
performed in Tyre and in Sidon, the inhabitants of Tyre and 
Sidon had long since wrought penance in sackcloth and 
ashes." 

What, then, have we to do, Christians ! 1st — We are to 
look upon the word as the most powerful means of conversion 
and sanctification, as a heavenly seed, which the Almighty 



SEXAGESIMA. 



God sows in our hearts, to make them bring forth the most 
precious and abundant fruits of justice and godliness. In 
fact, is it not bj the word of God that the whole world has 
been brought over to the Christian faith 1 Is it not by the 
word of God that thousands of sinners are daily converted and 
reclaimed] Is it not by the word of God the ignorant are 
instructed, the learned improved, the lukewarm animated 
and enlivened, the feeble strengthened, and the just incited to 
higher degrees of perfection and godliness 1 Banish the word 
of God from Christian society, and what a state of error, 
ignorance, and depravity must they not fall into ] The word 
of God may, therefore, be deemed, as it in reality is, the very 
life and soul of religion. 2nd. — We are to receive the word 
of God " with a good heart," as it is set forth in the Gospel of 
the day; tha,t is, willingly, cheerfully, and with a strong and 
sincere resolution of practising the instructions we receive. 
Otherwise we certainly abuse one of the greatest gifts of God, 
which will render us accountable to his justice, and draw upon 
us his severest punishments. "Take heed how you hear the 
word," saith our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, " for whoso- 
ever hath, to him shall be given ; and whosoever hath not, 
even that which he thinketh he hath shall be taken away 
from him;" that is, whosoever maketh a proper use of the 
word he heard, to him shall be given new graces ; and whoever 
hath not made the proper use of the word he received, shall 
be deprived of the advantages he already has, and the graces 
he was to receive in consequence of the divine word. Is not 
this, Christians, a most dreadful declaration 1 To lose, and 
be deprived of the graces of God we already had, and of the 
further graces and assistances that were intended for us ; and 
all this on account of abusing or not making the proper use 
of the divine word ! Surely no misfortune can be equal to 
that, by which one is deprived of the grace of God,| and 
abandoned to his own natural weakness and corruption. 3rd. 
— We should make it a rule unto ourselves to read, every day 
of our lives, something in the divine word, in the books of 
piety, that are, or should be, in the hands of the faithful. 
For the word is the food and nourishment of the soul. It is 
the light of the mind, strength of the heart, feeds and nourishes 
the soul in virtue and godliness. Nothing could be more 
worthy the zeal and attention of a Christian parent, than to 
read, or make one of their children read every night, in 
presence of their whole family, out of the lives of the saints, 
or some other pious book, for about a quarter of an hour. 
Heading in public would make the improvement general. The 



QUTNQUAGESIMA. 



67 



parents, the children, the domestics, would benefit alike 
thereby. Incited by the example of others, they would not 
only receive the word with joy, but likewise make it yield a 
hundred-fold ; or in other words, bring forth such plentiful 
fruits of justice, as must entitle them to the greatest rewards 
in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



QUINQITAGESIMA. 

As the Jews expected that the Messiah promised unto Israel 
would come with great majesty and splendour, and by his 
temporal grandeur restore the kingdom of Israel to its ancient 
glory and elevation, it was necessary to undeceive them by 
degrees, and let them know his kingdom was not of this world, 
and that all the glory and magnificence that should attend 
his reign, as was foretold by the prophets, concerned only the 
spiritual empire he was to establish upon earth, and the 
immortal glory he was to purchase by his sufferings and death 
in the kingdom of heaven ; for the apostle St. Paul says : "It 
was necessary Christ J esus should suffer, and by that means 
enter into the glory of God." It was necessary to let them 
know that he should be "a hidden God," as the prophet 
Isaiah foretold ; that is, that he should appear in a state of 
obscurity, humiliation, abjection, persecution, and oppression. 
It was for this purpose that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ, took frequent opportunities of entertaining his disciples 
with his future humiliations and sufferings. For we read in 
the Gospel of this day. that taking his disciples apart, he 
spoke to them in the following manner : " Behold we are now 
going up to Jerusalem, where all things shall be accomplished, 
that have been written by the prophets of the Son of Man. 
1 He shall be delivered up to the Gentiles ; he shall be mocked, 
scourged, and spit upon ; and after being scourged they shall 
put him to death; and the third day he shall rise again. 5 " 
But his disciples, the Gospel says, understood not the words of 
Christ, nor did they conceive the meaning of what he said. As 
their prejudices were very strong in favour of his temporal 
grandeur and prosperity, they could not imagine he would ever 
appear in the greatest obscurity and humiliation ; wherefore 
they concluded within themselves that there was something 
mysterious in the words of Christ, which they could not, at 
least would not, comprehend. 

Is not this, Christians, a genuine image and lively expression 
of what passes daily amongst ourselves 1 Should the ministers 



68 



QUINQUAGESIMA. 



of Christ set forth and enforce, with all the zeal they are 
masters of, the necessity of practising the great virtues Christ 
Jesus was pleased to consecrate in his person, and make the 
very foundation of religion — humility, self-denial, resignation 
amidst afflictions and sufferings — should, I say, the ministers 
of Christ set forth and enforce unto the faithful these great 
and indispensable virtues, they understand not these things, 
nor can they conceive the meaning thereof. A man in some 
power and elevation cannot conceive what it is to humble 
himself continually under the powerful hand of God, and 
deem himself as nothing in the eyes of the Lord. 

A man in affluence or opulence cannot conceive what it is to 
deny himself the pleasures and gratifications that surround him 
on every side, and which he has it every moment in his power 
to procure. A man in adversity cannot conceive how afflic- 
tions are the greatest blessings that heaven can bestow ; as 
they are the most effectual means of weaning us from sinful 
ways, of satisfying and atoning for our past sins and trans- 
gressions, and the properest occasion of testifying unto God, our 
Lord and our Maker, the submission due to his supreme power 
and will. 

Nothing, however, can be more certain than that these 
virtues are the most essential points of religion ; that they 
are prescribed by the law, and have been made sacred in the 
person of Christ Jesus. What therefore every Christian 
should do, in the first place, is to conceive the meaning of 
these important words of Christ Jesus, " Learn from me, for I 
am meek and humble of heart. If anyone will be my disciple, 
let him deny himself." And again, " Not one can be my 
disciple that does not take up his cross and follow me." 
What, I say, every Christian should do, in the first place, is, 
to conceive the meaning of these important words of Christ ; 
and next, to convince himself, in his own breast, of the indis- 
pensable obligation he lies under of practising these virtues, in 
order to attain eternal happiness. For as Christ Jesus is the 
model and pattern of all virtues, it is plain no man can be 
saved that does not tread in his steps. And this is the reason 
why St. Paul says, that " whom God has predestinated to 
eternal happiness, he hath likewise decreed to make them com- 
formable unto the image of his only Son." Wherefore, Chris- 
tians, as the life of Christ Jesus was one continued scene of 
humiliation, self-denial, and suffering, we must resolve upon 
making our own lives an expression of his, by humility, abne- 
gation, and resignation under the severest pressures and cala- 
mities of this world. Otherwise, we can have no hope of 



QUINQUAGESIMA. 



69 



sharing in the rewards he has promised unto those who shall 
live up to his maxims, and follow his examples. For St. Paul 
says, no man is glorified ^vith Christ Jesus that has not par- 
taken of the sufferings of Christ J esus. 

After Christ Jesus had informed his disciples of his ap- 
proaching humiliations and sufferings, he set out with them 
upon his journey to Jerusalem • and it happened as they were 
drawing near unto Jericho, they met a blind man begging near 
the way side, who, the moment he heard from the crowd it 
was Jesus of Nazareth that was passing by, cried out and 
said, " Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." These words 
he repeated over and over with a loud voice, and eagerness of 
desire, insomuch, that he at length became troublesome to the 
crowd, who thought it proper to check his importunities, and 
if possible reduce him to silence. But the more he was checked, 
the more he cried out aloud, " Jesus, Son of David, have mercy 
on me," so great was his confidence in Christ Jesus, and so 
ardent his desire of recovering his sight. Nor was he any- 
ways deceived in his expectations ; for the moment Christ 
Jesus heard him, he ordered him to be brought before him, 
and said, " What wilt thou have me do for thee V To which 
the blind man answering, said, " Lord, that I receive my 
sight." Then Jesus said unto him, " Receive thy sight ; thy 
faith has made thee sound." And the man immediately 
received his sight, and followed Jesus, glorifying God, and the 
whole multitude along with him. 

This blind man, the holy fathers say, is an image of all those 
who continually gratify their passions upon earth, in open vio- 
lation of the divine law. In fact, Christians, what can argue 
a greater blindness, than to prefer the empty pleasures of 
this life, which last but a single moment, to the pure, sub- 
stantial, and everlasting joys of the kingdom of heaven — 
the riches of this world, which must shortly perish and 
decay, to the incorruptible treasures of heaven — the honours 
and distinctions of this life, which are nothing in themselves, 
to the immortal crowns of glory reserved for us in the 
kingdom of heaven ! "What can argue a greater blindness, 
than to know we may die every moment, and yet live in such 
a state as, that if we chance to die therein, we must be for 
ever excluded from the kingdom of God, and condemned for 
ever to the devouring flames of hell? What can argue a 
greater blindness than to expect the Almighty God will 
forgive us, at the last hour, the manifold transgressions of a 
long and iniquitous life ; and besides, admit us into the 
kingdom of heaven, as he has assured us himself of the reverse 



70 



QUTNQUAGESTMA. 



in holy writ, saying, " I have called upon you, (that is, by my 
holy grace,) and you have refused to answer my call ; the day 
shall therefore come, when you shall seek me, and shall not 
find me, and you shall die in your sins." What can argue a 
greater blindness, in a word, than to believe there is a God 
above us, who will bring us to account for all the views and 
transactions of our life, and condemn all sinners to everlasting 
punishment ; and yet live in such a manner as if virtue were 
vice, and our vicious actions and transgressions alone were to 
be rewarded, not punished 1 ? 

Every sinner, therefore, is most justly compared to the blind 
man mentioned in the Gospel of this day ; as he is in reality 
blind to all the true interests and concerns of his soul. How- 
ever, the blind man in question recovered his sight from Christ 
Jesus. But shall those amongst us that are blind to the 
interests of their souls, ever acquire a true sense of their 
blindness, or a true knowledge of their errors 1 Shall they 
ever see the miseries they are in — the dangers they are exposed 
to — the dreadful and lamentable end that must terminate all 
their sinful courses of life — shall they ever pass from the 
darkness of iniquity to the true light of justice and righteous- 
ness 1 They should indeed, Christians, did they make a 
proper application, for that purpose, unto Christ Jesus, like 
the blind man mentioned in the Gospel of this day. For 
Christ is the heavenly light — " the true light," St. John says, 
" which enlightens every man who cometh into this world." 

Let us, therefore, most earnestly beseech our Lord and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ, to open our eyes ; to give us a thorough 
sense of the littleness, insignificance, and nothingness of every- 
thing that is created ; the value and excellence of all that is 
eternal and divine — to make us sensible of the folly and 
extravagance of forfeiting every title to the kingdom of heaven, 
for a moment's pleasure upon earth. In a word, to know our 
errors and correct them. In order to this, let us say with the 
royal prophet, " Enlighten our eyes, Lord, lest they be 
closed in death, and sealed in eternal darkness. Make known 
unto us the ways we are to walk in, because we have lifted up 
our souls unto thee, O Lord ! " It is not riches, or pleasures, 
or distinctions we call for, but the light of thy holy grace- 
that light which alone is capable of dispelling the clouds of 
darkness that hang over our minds ; of guiding safely our 
steps in the intricate ways that lead to life, and giving us at 
length admittance to that immortal glory, and that splendour 
which springs forth incessantly in the kingdom of heaven. 
Amen. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 



71 



FIRST SUNDAY IK LENT. 

The spirit by which Christ J esus was led into the desert, was 
his own Divine Spirit, or the Spirit of God ; and the motive 
which induced him to retire into the desert or wilderness, was, 
that he should stand exposed to the temptations of the devil ; 
and that, Christians, for our instruction and consolation. For 
when we see the Son of God tempted, in various shapes, by 
the evil spirit, surely no one should be surprised to meet with 
the like temptations within himself. However, we are not to 
imagine that all our temptations come immediately from the 
evil spirit. No : they mostly arise from ourselves, and have 
their source in the corruption of our human nature, or that 
concupiscence, or strong propensity to evil, which is born with 
us, and is one of the penalties of original sin, or the sin of our 
first parents. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied but the evil 
spirit doth frequently interfere, and urge us powerfully to sin, 
by painting seducing images in our ideas, and creating evil 
suggestions in our minds; for, "our great enemy the devil," 
St. Peter says, "is continually roaming about, seeking whom 
to devour." And the apostle St. Paul says, " every man is 
tempted by himself, drawn and enticed by his own concu- 
piscence." From these several considerations — the weakness 
and depravity of human nature, in general, the gaudy show 
and seducing figure of this world, the hatred and malice of 
the evil spirit to all mankind, it is plain we must be tempted, 
and frequently and violently tempted, during the whole 
course of our lives. Bat what should comfort us, Christians, 
is, 1st — 'That temptation is not a sin ; which appears plainly 
from the example of Christ J esus, who suffered himself to be 
tempted by the evil spirit in the desert. It is only an excite- 
ment to sin, not sin itself. 2ndly — It is in our power always, by 
the grace of God, to resist and overcome the strongest tempta- 
tions ; for "God is faithful," St. Paul says, "and will not 
suffer you to be tempted beyond your strength ; but will give 
you, in the very temptation, strength enough to resist it." 
The evil spirit, St. Austin says, is like a furious dog at his chain. 
He may bark, and threaten, and attack ; but he can never 
hurt you, if you do not go within his reach. The misfortune 
is, that people seldom or never take any pains to resist the 
temptation. They yield the moment they are attacked, at 
least they make but a very weak resistance ; and then they 
think it a sufficient excuse to say, I had not the grace to 
resist the temptation. But this, Christians, is a very great, 
and a very prejudicial mistake; because we always have 



72 



FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 



sufficient grace to do our duty, and can have, by means of 
prayer, or an humble and fervent application to God, further 
helps to enable us to overcome any temptation whatsoever ; 
so that if we fall without resisting the temptation, it is en- 
tirely owing to ourselves, and not to the want of grace. 
What should comfort us, in the third place, is, that every 
temptation we resist and overcome, from a motive of religion, 
adds to our merit upon earth, and to our rewards in heaven. 
For the apostle says, " Happy the man that suffers tempta- 
tion ; because, that after being tried, he shall receive the 
crown of life, which God had promised to those that love him." 
"What we then have to do, Christians, in the time of tempta- 
tion, is, to bear up strongly against it, to call on the Almighty 
God, through the merits of Christ J esus, for further assistance ; 
to bring unto our aid some of the great principles of religion, 
the joys of heaven, the eternal torments of hell, the command 
that God has laid upon us of loving and serving him alone ; 
saying, with Christ Jesus in the desert, " Begone, Satan; for it 
is written, The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and him only 
shalt thou serve." 

Before Christ J esus would suffer himself to be tempted by 
the evil spirit in the desert, he was pleased to fast forty days 
and forty nights ; after which he grew hungry, as the Gospel 
says : and this, Christians, was undoubtedly to set us the 
example of fasting, and show us how we are to prepare and 
arm ourselves against the various temptations of life. It is 
in imitation of this fast of Christ Jesus that the Lent has been 
instituted in the Church from the very beginning ; and en- 
forced by a particular command, which obliges all those that 
have attained to the age of one-and-twenty, or thereabouts, 
under pain of mortal sin. The solemn fast of Lent has been 
placed in this season of the vear, chiefly to dispose the faithful 
for the great solemnity of Easter. As there is an obligation 
upon all the faithful who are grown up to the years of discre- 
tion to receive the Blessed Sacrament at Easter, the Church 
employs the most effectual methods to prepare them properly 
for that purpose ; such as fasting, praying, humiliation, and 
alms — the very exercises peculiar to the holy season we are 
entering upon. 

Eor be pleased to consider, that all the faithful in general 
may be divided into two classes — those that are in a state of 
grace, and those that are in a state of sin. To those that are 
in a state of sin, nothing can be more profitable than fasting, 
as the virtue and efficacy thereof are declared in many places 
in holy writ : for the Lord says in the second chapter of Joel, 



FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 



73 



*f Convert unto me in fasting and weeping ; " moreover, Christ 
Jesus says, " There is a kind of evil spirit that cannot be ex- 
pelled but by fasting and prayer." And the reason of this, as 
divines observe, is, that the Almighty God, to deter us the 
more from sin, is not pleased to grant at once unto every 
sinner the grace of repentance ; but requires that we humble 
ourselves in his presence, by fasting, weeping, and prayer. But 
when we do humble our souls in this manner — when we fast 
and weep, and pray, in a spirit of repentance, and with a view 
to the merits of Christ Jesus, the Almighty never refuses to 
grant us the grace of a true and solid conversion. 

This is the reason, Christians, why Lent has been looked 
upon, by the fathers and doctors of the Church, as a season of 
spiritual blessings ; because it is a time set apart for humilia- 
tion, fasting, and prayer, which are the most powerful methods 
religion can suggest for returning sincerely unto the Lord, 
Ecce nunc tempus acceptabile. And as for those that may be 
in a state of grace, or in favour with Almighty God, nothing 
can be more useful or meritorious than fasting : for first, 
" Prayer," the Holy Ghost declares, (Tob. 12) "is good with 
fasting ; " whence it plainly appears that prayer derives great 
virtue and efficacy from fasting. Second — Christ Jesus has 
promised a particular reward to fasting ; for we read in the 
Gospel, that he addressed his disciples in manner following, 
"When you fast, be not of a sad countenance, like hypocrites; 
for they disfigure their faces, that to men they may appear 
fasting. Amen, I say unto you, they have received their 
reward. But thou, when thou dost fast, anoint thy head, and 
wash thy face, that thou appear not fasting unto men, but to 
thy Heavenly Father, who is in private ; and thy Heavenly 
Father, who is in private, will reward thee." Here is then a 
reward promised unto fasting; from which it appears, that fast- 
ing is one of the most meritorious works of religion. Fasting, 
the holy fathers say, enlightens the mind and purifies the 
heart. It banishes all idle imaginations, and suppresses all 
evil desires. It weans the soul from all unlawful pleasures, 
and disposes it to enter into the most intimate union and 
communication with the Divinity. 

Let us therefore, Christians, deem it a happiness to have 
lived to this holy season ; and firmly resolve within ourselves, 
to go through it with fidelity and courage. Let us not only 
fast, but fast in the manner prescribed by the Church, abstain- 
ing punctually from all sort of forbidden food, and contenting 
ourselves wit)h one single meal, and a slender, very slender re- 
fection at night. Should we transgress any one of these points, 

F 



74 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 



we commit a mortal sin. Let us not only fast, but fast with a 
spirit of religion, by offering up our fast in union with the 
fast of Christ Jesus, to atone for our past sins. The spirit 
may indeed tempt us to transgress and break the fast, as he 
did Christ Jesus in the desert, saying — " Command that those 
stones be made bread." But remember what our Saviour 
answered, "It is not by bread alone man liveth; but by 
every word that cometh from the mouth of God." 

This is, perhaps, the last Lent a great many of us will ever 
see. Let us therefore make the proper use of it, and turn it to 
the greatest advantage unto our souls. By keeping this Lent 
properly, we can obtain the grace of God, which is undoubtedly 
beyond all the treasures upon earth, atone for our past sins 
and transgressions, and make great additions to the rewards 
that are prepared for us in the life to come. On the contrary, 
if we do not keep the Lent, and keep it properly ; if upon 
slender pretences we sue for, and make use of any exemption, 
or dispensation from fasting, we commit a very heinous sin in 
the eyes of the Lord, deprive ourselves of his holy grace, and add 
to the treasure of wrath that is reserved for us in the life to 
come. Fasting, I own, is not agreeable to flesh and blood ; 
but it is wholesome for the soul, and agreeable to God. It 
weakens the constitution, but then it checks and lowers the 
passions. It deprives us of many sensual gratifications ; but 
it procures us many spiritual and inestimable blessings. It 
destroys the terrestrial part of man ; but it forms, strengthens, 
and perfects the spiritual and celestial part. 

What advantages these, Christians, and how worthy our 
attention 1 Let us therefore enter upon this laborious career 
of fasting and penance, with spirit and resolution. " The 
Almighty will finish and bring to perfection," the apostle 
says, " what he hath already begun with his holy grace ; " and 
thereby enable us to reap, in the end, the happy fruits of our 
long and penitential course — his holy grace in this life, and 
eternal happiness in the next. Amen. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 

It was usual with our Saviour, as often as he preached up the 
cross to his disciples, to remind them of the rewards reserved 
for them in the life to come ; in order that the hopes of the 
recompense might excite their courage to bear up against the 
hardships they were continually to struggle with. But on this 
occasion, Christians, he does more — to some of them he shows 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 



75 



a gHnipse of the beatific vision of that glory he enjoyed before 
the formation of the world. "And leading them, up into a 
high mountain, he was transfigured before them. And his 
face did shine as the sun ; and his garments became white as 
snow. And lo ! a voice cried out from the heavens, saying — 
' This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye 
him.' " Enraptured with the glory that surrounded him, and 
equally unmindful of past as of future sufferings, Peter breaks 
out, "Lord, it is good for us to be here." Such are the 
hints conveyed by the Scripture of the glory of heaven, from 
the transfiguration of Christ on the mountain. His counte- 
nance became brilliant like the sun, and his garments like snow; 
because in nature nothing is whiter than snow, nor more 
brilliant than the sun. They are figurative words, inex- 
pressive of that reality, the contemplation of wjiich should 
support us under the calamities annexed to this life, and make 
us look with disdain upon the gaudy appearance of this world, 
and solicit only a slender "portion in the land of the living." 
But who is it that thinks seriously of the eternal concerns of 
his soul 1 Grown terrestrial by the indulgence of our senses, 
the pursuits of this world and its vanities, the very notion of 
heaven seems banished from our minds. The Gospel every- 
where tells you, that heaven is a reward ; to obtain it, you 
must take care to merit it upon earth ; unless you merit, you 
will not obtain it; and to encourage you to merit it, the 
Church invites you, this day, to some reflections on it, and 
reminds you how worthy it is of all your labours. 

The contemplation of heaven has been, in all ages, the 
support and comfort of all the followers of God. It is called 
in the Apocalypse, " the holy J erusalem," whose walls are 
built of precious stones — its streets paved with pure gold — the 
river of life runs through it, and on its banks springs up the 
tree, whose fruit conveys immortality and health — where 
" night shall be no more ; and they shall not need the light 
of the lamp, nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God 
shall enlighten them ; and they shall reign for ever and ever ! " 
This is but a faint idea of what heaven is, adapted to what 
we conceive most valuable upon earth, as pure gold and 
precious stones; for St. Paul, after being elevated to the throne 
of God, could only declare, " the eye hath not seen, nor the 
ear ever heard, nor the heart of man ever conceived, what God 
hath prepared for those that love him." The impossibility 
this eloquent and inspired apostle lay under of explaining it, 
should convey the highest notion of its grandeur; for God 
there shows himself a God, in the rewards he bestows on his 



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friends : "I myself am your protector and your very great 
reward." All other happiness but that of heaven is deceitful 
from its uncertainty, its fluctuation, and its shortness. 
Felicity in this life is extremely uncertain, but it is grounded, 
in heaven, on the surest foundations — here it is vain and 
superficial, there solid and substantial ; here fleeting, there 
permanent ; here momentary, there eternal. 

" There can be no real happiness," says St. Austin, de Civ. 
Dei, lib. 20, " where there is the least doubt " — and is not 
doubt interwoven with all the happiness of this world ? 
Where is the man that can safely rely on his attaining even 
to a share of that felicity which this mortal life affords 1 Con- 
sult those who have laboured many years in the pursuit of 
honour : after exposing themselves to the hazards of war, 
after courting perhaps the occasions of spilling their blood, 
what reward have they received 1 Very often ingratitude or 
ill-will ; their greatest services frequently over-looked, or 
their fidelity questioned. Consult those, who, placing their 
felicity in rank and distinction, make them the objects of their 
pursuits. After employing all the arts their vanity could 
suggest, to raise themselves to the highest stations, what 
success do they generally meet with 1 Instead of compassing 
their ambitious views, for the most part, disappointment and 
shame to see themselves supplanted and depressed by those 
very persons whom they intended to leave at the greatest 
distance behind them. Let us likewise consult those who 
place their happiness in riches, how far they suceeed in their 
designs, in laying down many well concerted schemes, and pur- 
suing them with the greatest vigilance and care. They fre- 
quently meet with one continued scene of misfortunes, which, 
from the greatest opulence, bring them down to the lowest 
degree of indigence and obscurity. Hence it is plain, that 
nothing can be more uncertain than the happiness of this 
world ; and this is the common course of things in life. The 
images it presents us with are enough to allure from afar, and 
seduce any one that is not guarded against them, by the 
principles of faith, or the strongest reflections. Its pomp and 
figure, its shows and diversions, its pleasures and amusements, 
shine refulgently at a distance; but upon examination they 
are found to be no better than painted clouds, which have 
scarce any existence, or those gentle fires that kindle in the 
night, retire before you as fast as you pursue them, and afford 
no more of their malignant light, than what is sufficient to 
point out the way to your destruction. On the other hand, 
we have all the certainty we can require in the promise of 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT 



77 



God, who, being essential truth, can neither deceive nor be 
deceived. This God, I say, has promised a share of his king- 
dom and of that glory he himself enjoys, unto all his faithful 
servants, which promise is so certain as to form a fundamental 
article in our creed — life everlasting. Almighty God has not 
only promised, but fulfilled his promise to all those who were 
entitled thereto ; for the just that have lived upon earth, and 
atoned sufficiently for their slightest offences, are now in 
possession of the kingdom of heaven in virtue of God's 
promise ; as laid down by St. John, " and I saw a great 
multitude which no man could reckon, of all tribes and 
countries and nations," in the actual enjoyment of the glory 
of God. What greater encouragement can there be to a pious 
and Christian life, than to know that it leads surely to happi- 
ness ? In every other pursuit we are liable to disappoint- 
ment ; but here we have the infallible promise of God to 
depend' on, as surely as the Almighty is unchangeable in his 
nature, and infallible in his word, so sure is the possession of 
eternal happiness to those that are really deserving of it. 

This dependence on the promise of a God supported and 
animated the courage of the martyrs amidst the most cruel 
torments — some were stretched upon the rack, others plunged 
into caldrons of melted lead or boiling oil ; some were roasted, 
others torn with hooks, and laid on burning coals ; yet when 
they lifted up their eyes towards heaven, to contemplate the 
rewards of their fidelity, they could endure all these tortures, 
not only with courage and resolution, but with ecstacy and 
delight. This dependence on the promise of a God led many 
thousands, in all ages, from the pleasures of the world into 
the wildest deserts, there to spend there lives in solitude, 
prayer, fasting, mortification, and penance. The severest 
austerities seemed unto them light and agreeable, because they 
knew the joys of heaven were to be their reward. This de- 
pendence, likewise, on the promise of a God, induces many 
thousands, even in our own days, in all Christian countries, 
either to renounce the world entirely, or " to live in the world 
as though they were not in it," and employ themselves entirely 
in the practices of good works, because they know that heaven 
is to be their reward. This dependence on the promise of a 
God, and the expectation of eternal happiness in heaven, 
should make the like impressions on our minds. Most of you 
have been labouring in this world for many years. For what 
purpose 1 Where is the fruit of all your labours — at least 
where will it be in a few years, perhaps a few days hence — 
what more will then remain of all the glory and happiness of 



78 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 



this life, but a handful of dust and ashes ? Turn your thoughts, 
therefore, upon heaven, where your reward is not only sure 
but solid and substantial, abounding in felicity. 

All the happiness of this life, when weighed in the scale of 
reason, what does it amount to % A transient pause, a slight 
cessation from pain. Can it satisfy the mind, or content our 
desires 1 Does it not rather leave after it a constant craving 
for something better, or more agreeable 1 Consult your own 
experience. All your past pleasures, your diversions, amuse- 
ments, rioting and joys, what did they all avail you the 
moment they were passed 1 Far from affording any real 
satisfaction, did they not leave behind the cruel remorse of 
having wasted your time, impaired your circumstances, defiled 
your conscience, and offended Almighty God 1 ? — whence it 
follows, there neither is, nor can be, any real happiness upon 
earth ; and that by a particular providence of God, as St. 
Austin observes, who framed our hearts in such a manner as 
not to be able to fix or settle in any object but himself alone. 
But in heaven it is quite the reverse. There we are to enjoy 
the height of felicity by all that gratifies the mind or sense. 
Here below, even those who seem to enjoy the completest 
happiness, are perpetually disturbed either by the restlessness 
of their own minds, which is a cross we necessarily carry about 
us, or the frame of their constitution, which is essentially liable 
to sickness, the inclemency of the seasons, the feebleness and 
dissolution of age — so that we may justly say with the wisest 
of men, that all the happiness this world affords, is no more at 
bottom than "vanity and affliction of spirit." But in heaven, 
I say, there are neither anxieties, nor sufferings, nor complaint, 
nor moan, nor anguish, nor sorrow; there the tears 
shall be wiped away from your eyes, to make way for the 
torrent of delights which flow from the throne of God — there 
you shall see " face to face " him, whom here below you adore 
through faith. There the fountains of the living God, shall 
pour forth on your torrents of delights, ever now, ever increas- 
ing, never cloying. There, after the resurrection, the faithful 
companion of the soul on earth, the sharer of its sufferings, the 
partner of its good works — the body shall partake in its joys. 
The eye shall be delighted with the view of God, and the beauty 
and grandeur of the heavenly Jerusalem, and all its illustrious 
inhabitants ; the ear enchanted with melodious canticles of 
praise ; and the heart drowned in ecstacy of joys, which 
necessarily flow from an immediate union with God. But 
listen, Christians — the glory of heaven is never to end ! 

No happiness can be deemed complete that is limited in its 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 



79 



duration, because the time must necessarily come when it will 
cease to exist. But this danger is removed with regard to 
heaven ; as it is to last as long as God himself, that is, for ever 
and ever. For the Gospel says, " the just shall go at the last 
day to eternal life." Conceive then, if you can, how grand is 
that state, wherein joys infinitely superior to anything this 
world can administer, must flow for ever without interruption 
or end. Already near 1800 years have passed since those who 
ascended with Christ into heaven have been in possession of 
the glory he purchased for them ; and in eighteen hundred 
millions of years, their happiness will not be so much as 
beginning ; because in eternity there is neither beginning nor 
end ; and that their happiness, like unto that of God him- 
self, always subsists uniformly without variation or limitation. 
What is become, let me ask, of all the great and happy men, 
that lived eighteen hundred years ago in the world, " who 
placed not their glory in the glory of God 1 " The monuments 
erected to their fame, are mouldered into dust, their actions 
forgotten, their names buried in oblivion, and all their glories 
vanished like a shadow. 

Consider now, Christians, the joys of heaven are the precious 
reward of a godly life. Consider, I beseech you, the terrible 
words of St. Paul, " Neither drunkards nor revilers, the effemi- 
nate or covetous, shall ever inherit the kingdom of God." To 
enter heaven, you must fulfil the law upon earth, as Christ 
Jesus directs, "If thou hast a mind to enter into eternal life 
keep the commandments." Now the whole law consists in 
avoiding every excess, and fulfilling all righteousness, so as to 
exercise piety towards God, justice and charity towards our 
neighbour, sobriety and reservedness towards ourselves. This 
is the only way to heaven. Whoever pursues any other road, 
goes the broad way to perdition. This is the "crown of justice" 
which must be won by many victories over our enemies, the 
flesh, the world, and the spirit of darkness. The conflict may 
be sharp and severe ; but, by the grace of God, victory will 
always declare for us. Nothing can be deemed sharp or severe 
which leads to eternal happiness, and makes us masters of the 
kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is offered to those who 
live up to the rules of Christianity. Let us endeavour to 
obtain it. Who can complain of the hardship of a few 
moments which are productive of an eternal weight of glory in 
heaven 1 Let us forsake our wicked ways, and give our hearts 
sincerely unto the Lord, and he will abundantly repay us in 
his own kingdom hereafter. 



80 



THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 

Can anything be more surprising, Christians, than the obsti- 
nacy and fury with which the Pharisees persecuted Christ 
Jesus 1 Every action of his life was to them an occasion of 
exerting their fury and malice. Even those actions which 
carried with them the most visible character and stamp of 
godliness, could not escape their censure ; for we read in this 
day's Gospel, that after Christ Jesus had cast out, in their 
presence, a devil that was dumb, they cried out immediately 
and said it was in " Beelzebub, the prince of devils," or by 
virtue of a power derived from him, that Jesus had cast out the 
evil spirit. Although nothing could be more absurd than this 
assertion, as it could never be conceived that the prince of the 
devils would employ his own power, or suffer it to be employed 
to his own ruin and destruction — and " as every kingdom that 
is divided in itself," as our Saviour says, " must fall into deso- 
lation ; " yet the Pharisees did not, would not conceive it \ 
whilst the crowd was struck with admiration, at the miracle 
that was wrought before their eyes, and upon seeing the man 
who had been dumb for many years, in consequence of the 
evil spirit he was possessed with, open his lips and speak freely.. 
The Pharisees, on the contrary, were filled with indignation, 
and used their utmost endeavours to blacken the reputation of 
Christ J esus, to prevent any glory that might result from it, 
by attributing the miracle to the power of the prince of dark- 
ness; so great was their prejudice and prepossession against 
the Son of God and Redeemer of mankind ! 

Prom this passage we may learn what dreadful consequences 
attend the passion of envy and malice, and how destructive a 
thing it is for any one to suffer himself to be led or governed 
thereby. In the Pharisees it went so far, as to attack the very 
person of Christ Jesus, and load him with the most severe 
aspersions. In us it does not go so far indeed, but how often 
does it prompt a great many to attack the members of Christ, 
or their brethren in Christ, by censuring them unjustly, or 
making them the subject of slander and detraction. 

This is, Christians, one of the most prevailing vices, not 
only of this country, but of all the countries upon the earth ; 
and what is still worse, is, that the people generally seem not 
to make the least account thereof ; yet detraction is un- 
doubtedly a very heinous crime — a mortal sin, and a very con- 
siderable transgression of the law of God ; for St. Paul declares 
" that detractors are hateful to God." Now nothing can make 
us hateful to God, but a material breach of his law ; besides, 



THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 



81 



the same Gospel says, that " all those that do detract, will 
never enter the kingdom of heaven," from whence it plainly 
follows, that detraction or slander must be a most heinous sin 
and transgression, inasmuch as it is capable of excluding us for 
ever from the kingdom of heaven. 

But what does slander or detraction consist in? It con- 
sists, Christians, in saying or revealing anything that may 
hurt your neighbour's character. It differs from a calumny in 
this, that by calumny you accuse your neighbour wrongfully, 
and charge him with a crime or fault he was never guilty of, 
whereas by slander or detraction you only reveal or publish 
such crimes or faults as he has actually been guilty of, in pri- 
vate, the publishing of which cannot but be a prejudice to his 
character. It is no excuse to say that you have advanced 
nothing but what is true, and strictly true. For though it 
was true, you had no right to publish it the moment it was 
private, and could be prejudicial to your neighbour ; and if you 
have advanced a truth, that was to your neighbour's prejudice 
— you certainly have sinned, and grievously sinned ; and that, 
divines say, against charity and justice. 1st — Against charity, 
because the law of charity requires that you treat your neigh- 
bour as you would be treated by him yourself. Now let me 
ask, if you would be well pleased if your neighbour published 
your faults, your most secret faults, or failings, and thereby 
exposed you to the censure of the public 1 — undoubtedly not. 
Why then will you not behave towards him as you would have 
him behave towards you, upon a like occasion 1 And if you 
do not, most certainly you transgress the second great precept 
of the law, or that precept which enjoins you to love your 
neighbour as yourself. 2nd — It is a sin against justice, for a 
man's character is his property, as much as anything he may 
be possessed of ; nay, by far the most valuable part of his pro- 
perty — as a good name is valued more by all persons of prin- 
ciple, than all the riches of the world. If, therefore, Christians, 
you take away any part of your neighbour's character, you 
strip him in reality of the richest possession he is master of, 
which manifestly is a breach of justice. 

Seeing, therefore, Christians, detraction is so heinous a sin, 
is it not astonishing that people who pretend to have the fear 
of God before them, and to act upon principles of conscience, 
should so frequently be guilty of it 1 How many are there in 
the world that would die before they would think of robbing 
their neighbour of any part of his worldly substance, yet make 
no difficulty in robbing him of what is vastly more to be 
esteemed — the good opinion of the world. Their neighbour is 



82 



THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 



eternally the subject of their discourse — the moment they hear 
anything to his discredit, they can have no rest until they dis- 
close the deadly secret to the first they meet. The real or pre- 
tended crime is handed about from house to house, until it 
spreads through the whole town, and from the town throughout 
the country ; thus it is, a Christian is frequently destroyed and 
decried, and that by the uncharitableness, the indiscretion, or 
the criminal slander of other Christians, for which they must 
account at the bar of God's justice. 

But is it not a sin to repeat what one has heard to the pre- 
judice of their neighbour? Undoubtedly it is a very great 
sin ; first, because all general reports are commonly found, 
upon examination, to be groundless; and surely it can never be 
lawful to do real and certain injury, upon a flying and uncer- 
tain report. Secondly — Although the imputation were cer- 
tain and well grounded, yet if the crime is private, and may 
become prejudicial to your neighbour, you are bound in 
conscience, and in charity to our brother in Christ, not to 
speak of it. If the imputation was certain and public, it 
alters the case ; because one loses and forfeits, in that case, 
all the right he had to the good opinion of mankind. "Fur- 
ther, it frequently happens that persons are guilty of detrac- 
tion, although they should not say one word, and that by 
approving or encouraging the detraction with a wink, nod, 
shrug, smile, affected pause or stop ; for St. Paul says, " Not 
only detractors, but likewise those that consent to the de- 
traction, shall be excluded for ever from the kingdom of 
heaven." 

You see, Christians, how easy it is for one to commit a 
considerable sin in point of detraction, since we become guilty 
by the very encouragement we give thereto. How, then, is a 
person to behave in an occasion of the kind, wherein he sees 
his neighbour traduced by evil tongues ? 1st — He is bound 
in conscience not to join in the detraction, or approve of it. 
2nd — He is bound in conscience, if he knows the falsehood of 
the imputation, to oppose it with prudence and discretion; 
and thereby vindicate his neighbour's character. Our Saviour 
says in the Gospel of this day, " He that is not with me is 
against me ;" whence it follows, that it is not enough, upon 
several occasions, when the law of God is violated before our 
eyes, to be silent, or barely passive. 3rd — If it should happen 
that we neither know the falseness of the imputation, nor have 
authority enough to oppose the person that detracts, who may 
be of a superior rank, we are then obliged in conscience to show 
our dislike to the detraction, either by our silence, or a certain 



THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 



83 



severity in our countenance, or frequently by quitting the 
company without delay. 

Detraction is not only a heinous sin, but, likewise, a sin 
which must be repaired and retracted publicly. 1st — For, as 
an act of injustice, it requires a reparation as much as if you 
had robbed your neighbour of his worldly substance, as far as 
lies in your power, either by retracting publicly the evil you 
have said of him, if it was a false aspersion, or by commending 
him in other respects, and upon other occasions, if the asper- 
sion was true; 2nd — If your neighbour has suffered in his 
business or substance by your detraction, you are bound in 
conscience to make restitution for the losses he sustained. 
Without this reparation the sin will never be forgiven, although 
you should be fasting and praying for a hundred years. 

But what is this envy, so prejudicial and destructive to 
mankind % It is a displeasure at the good of our neighbour, 
either in his person, fortune, or preferment, which, it is plain, 
is utterly inconsistent with the spirit of religion. As Chris- 
tians, we are obliged to wish each other well ; and even 
contribute to the welfare of others, as often as they stand in 
need of our assistance. Nothing, therefore, can be more 
repugnant to the spirit of Christianity, nor, consequently, more 
criminal in the sight of God, than that passion which stifles 
every human affection, every sentiment of benevolence, in the 
heart ; yet how many are there that daily obey the dictates of 
this inhuman passion 1 How many are there that always 
hear, with dislike, their neighbour commended ? — that repine 
at his success, and rejoice in his misfortunes % An envious eye 
is offended at everything that sets his neighbour above him- 
self, and pleased at every misfortune that pulls him down to 
the lowest rank. Nor is this passion confined to the senti- 
ments of the heart. No ; it shows itself in our actions, but 
chiefly in our words. Divines assure us, that one-half of man- 
kind are damned for detraction ; for first, it is plain to every 
one that nothing can be more common than detraction ; and 
second, nothing more uncommon than making the least repara- 
tion for it : whence it follows that this sin is seldom or never 
atoned for by repentance, and, consequently, it must bring- 
about our eternal perdition : push us to the grave, from the grave 
to the tribunal of God, and from the tribunal of God to the 
devouring flames of hell. Should not this consideration alone, 
Christians, give us all the utmost abhorrence of detraction '? 
" Happy is the man," the apostle says, " that doth not offend 
with the tongue." 

Let us therefore guard these dangerous tongues, for fear of 



84 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 



offending our brethren, and by offending our brethren, offend 
Almighty God, who in punishment of our sins, will certainly 
exclude us from the kingdom of heaven. Let us, I say, be 
silent for ever, rather than speak to the prejudice of our 
brethren, and in open violation of the divine law. By reducing 
ourselves to silence for a time, from a principle of Christian 
charity upon earth, we shall be at liberty to employ our 
tongues for ever in praising and magnifying the great eternal 
God, amidst choirs of angels and celestial spirits, enraptured 
with joys and glory in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 

It is hard to say and determine, Christians, which we are most 
to admire in the Gospel of this day — this unwearied zeal and 
religious dispositions of the crowd that followed Christ Jesus 
beyond the sea of Galilee (that is a large lake which divided 
Galilee from the rest of the country), or the extraordinary good- 
ness and bounty of Christ Jesus, who was pleased to relieve the 
crowd in their distress, by a very signal and memorable mir- 
acle. It was very natural indeed, that those who had seen the 
miraculous cures which Christ Jesus wrought upon the sick, as 
we are told in the Gospel of this day, should have conceived, 
in consequence thereof, a very high opinion of his power and 
benevolence ; but that they should quit their habitations and 
follow Christ Jesus in crowds into the desert, unmindful of 
their families, unmindful of their business, and unmindful of 
themselves, as numbers of the Jews did, on the occasion we are 
speaking of, argues plainly a very great fund of religion, and a 
very extraordinary attachment to the person of Christ Jesus. 
By this proceeding they manifestly showed that they prized and 
valued the instructions they received from Christ Jesus, con- 
cerning the ways of salvation, more than all the advantages of 
this world. To follow Christ, and share in the spiritual 
blessings he was daily dispensing, or distributing amongst them, 
was the only object of their desires. Every other consideration 
either gave way to this, or was entirely banished from their 
thoughts. "Happy are those," says our Lord and Saviour, 
J esus Christ, " that thirst after justice, for they shall be filled 
that is, happy are those that have a sincere and ardent desire 
of learning the ways of heaven, and walking therein ; of know- 
ing the will of God, and fulfilling it in every point; for they 
shall be satisfied both in this world and in the world to come. 
In this world, by the inward pleasure and consolations that 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 



85 



necessarily attend a just and virtuous life; and in the world to 
come, by partaking eternally of the fullest and purest joys of 
the kingdom of heaven. 

It was not possible, Christians, to show a greater longing 
after justice than that multitude had shown, which followed 
Christ Jesus into the desert, without making the least provision 
for themselves, although at the risk of perishing with, famine. 
Are these the sentiments of our hearts % Have we the same 
desire, the same zeal, the same eagerness that the multitude 
had, for the things of God? Have we sacrificed, or are we 
even ready to sacrifice the least interest of this world, for the 
advantage of our souls'? Alas ! do we not daily sacrifice the eter- 
nal concerns of our souls, to the most trifling advantages of this 
world 1 What we are most uneasy about, and what we thirst 
after with the greatest eagerness of desire, is not the knowledge 
of the eternal truths of salvation, or the fulfilling of all justice, 
but such things as contribute to the happiness of this life; 
nevertheless, Christ Jesus has said, " Seek first the kingdom of 
heaven before all things, and the rest shall be given unto you." 

This was plainly and fully verified with regard to the 
multitude that followed Christ J esus into the desert ; for after 
seating himself upon the mountain, whence he could view the 
whole multitude that had been fasting three days, he took 
pity on them, and would not dismiss them before he made 
them eat, lest they might perish in the way. For this purpose 
he inquired of his disciples how he could purchase provisions 
to feed the multitude that came after him. The disciples 
answered, that a considerable sum could not buy provisions 
enough to give even a small share to every one of the crowd. 
Another then said, there was indeed a boy that had " five 
barley loaves and two fishes ; " but what was that to so many 
persons, and so great a multitude as five thousand men 1 
Christ Jesus, however, ordered the multitude to be seated on 
the grass; and taking the loaves, he gave thanks, and 
distributed them amongst the crowd, and the fishes in like 
manner; and the whole multitude was plentifully fed therewith. 

Everything here, Christians, is most worthy of remark. 1st 
— Christ Jesus was pleased, before he would work the miracle, 
to address his Heavenly Father, to show us that all blessings 
are derived from the Almighty God, the source of all goodness, 
and, consequently, that it is from him we are to expect, and to 
him we are to apply for relief, in the time of calamity or dis- 
tress. This indeed we are very sensible of, with regard to 
any temporal want or necessity ; for the moment we meet with 
any crosses or misfortunes in the world, we never fail calling 



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FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 



upon the Almighty God for relief, and reminding him of his 
being the tender and universal Parent of mankind. But do 
we behave in the same manner in reference to our spiritual 
wants and necessities? Do we apply to the Almighty God 
with the same readiness and sincerity for his divine assistance 
— the graces that are necessary to subdue our passions, over- 
come onr temptations, fulfil, in a word, every essential obliga- 
tion of religion 1 Do we beseech him fervently and frequently 
to refuse us, nay deprive us of everything that may be the 
occasion of sin, and an obstacle to our salvation 1 'No : this 
is seldom or never the case ; nevertheless, spiritual blessings 
are the only things that the Almighty God has promised to 
grant us, as appears from these words of our blessed Saviour 
in the Gospel — " Whatsoever you ask according to the will of 
my Father, shall be granted you ; " because nothing can be 
agreeable to the will of God, but what is conducive to our 
salvation. As for temporal blessings, the Almighty never 
promised them, but with some restrictions ; nor is it lawful 
tor us to call for them but as far as they may be conducive to 
the glory of God, and the good of our souls. But our mis- 
fortune is, that we are more anxious for the frail and perish- 
able advantages of this world, which we cannot frequently 
obtain, than for the graces of God, which are extremely 
valuable in themselves, and would certainly be granted if we 
ajjplied for them with humility and fervour. 

2nd — Our Lord and Saviour, J esus Christ, was not satisfied 
with increasing the scanty share of provision his disciples had, 
as far as was necessary to feed the multitude; he was, moreover, 
pleased to produce and create such a plenty and abundance, 
as left a large quantity of provisions remaining, in order, as the 
holy fathers say, to show us how liberal and bountiful he is to 
all those that love and serve him. The goodness of God will 
not suffer him, Christians, to keep any measure with his faith- 
ful servants. He not only rewards them, but rewards them 
beyond their own expectations, and in a manner worthy of a 
God. This is what St. Paul means when he says, " Where sin 
abounded, grace, or goodness of God, abounded more." 

What impressions, Christians, should not these instances of 
divine bounty make upon our minds and hearts? Had we 
been witnesses to, and partakers of the miraculous relief 
granted to the multitude in the desert, how powerfully must 
we have been affected thereby ! undoubtedly we should have 
cried out along with them, " This is the prophet indeed who 
was to come into the world." 

But be pleased to observe, that there is not a single day of 



PASSION SUNDAY. 



87 



our lives, in which we are not witnesses to many acts of equal, 
if not superior goodness on the part of the Almighty. For, as 
St. Augustine justly observes upon this occasion, is it more 
astonishing the Almighty should have fed five thousand men 
in the desert than daily feed the whole race of mankind 1 
Undoubtedly it is not. Yet, this he daily performs by pro- 
ducing the various fruits of the earth on which we live. The 
air we breathe, the life we enjoy, and the food we consume, are 
the precious and continual gifts of his bountiful hand. But 
these miracles of bounty, being so very common, are constantly 
overlooked. Yet surely the more frequent they are, the more 
they should be valued and prized, as they are new and accu- 
mulated proofs of the bounty of God. If one single favour of 
consequence is sufficient to draw our attention, and excite our 
admiration, what effect should continual and uninterrupted 
instances of divine love produce ! 

Let us then learn, at length, to distinguish the inexpressible 
bounty and goodness of the Almighty God, in all his works, 
and throughout the whole system of his providence. Con- 
siderations of this kind will certainly excite our hearts to a 
just return of gratitude and love, which will one day entitle 
us to all the joys and glory of the kingdom of heaven; where 
the Almighty God communicates, and will ever communicate 
his love, to all his true and faithful servants without measure 
or reserve. Amen. 



PASSION SUNDAY. 

Amongst the many calumnies the J ews and Pharisees were 
accustomed to throw upon our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
never did any one of them dare to charge him with any trans- 
gression of the law. They often reproached him with being 
possessed of a devil, or casting out evil spirits in Beelzebub, or 
in virtue of power derived from the prince of devils. They 
even called him a Samaritan, as appears from the Gospel of 
this day, which was a very great injury amongst the Jews; as 
the Samaritans, or inhabitants of Samaria, were professedly 
schismatics, inasmuch as they had separated themselves from 
the rest of the Jews, set up a false worship of their own in 
Samaria, and refused going to Jerusalem to join in the temple 
in the true worship of God, in which alone it was lawful to 
pay him any public worship or adoration. But we do not 
read that they ever accused our Saviour of any sinful or im- 
moral action. Nay, in the Gospel of this day, he challenges 



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PASSION SUNDAY. 



them to declare if ever he was guilty of a crime. This, 
indeed, could not be said of any other but the Son of God, as 
he alone was incapable of sin by nature ; and as mankind, in 
general, are sinners, born in sin, and liable to sin, as long as 
they live. 

First — They are born in sin : for St. Paul declares, we are 
all born " children of wrath sinners of course, since nothing 
but sin could draw the displeasure of the Almighty upon us, 
at an age in which we are entirely incapable of doing a good 
or an evil action. This is, Christians, what divines call 
original sin, that sin or transgression of the first universal 
parent of mankind, which has been, by a most dreadful judg- 
ment of the Lord, entailed upon all his unhappy posterity to 
the end of time. For, after our first parents had transgressed 
the command the Almighty had given them, not to eat of the 
forbidden fruit in the garden of Paradise, they were immedi- 
ately punished for their transgression, not only in themselves, 
but in their descendants for ever ; as all those that were to 
descend from them, were, in some measure, comprised in the 
transgressors themselves. But what did the punishment con- 
sist in, so far as it related to our first parents personally 1 It 
consisted in stripping them of all the great privileges and 
qualifications they had been endowed and vested with in their 
creation. For it cannot be doubted, that the first parents of 
mankind came from the hands of God adorned with such vir- 
tues and perfections as became creatures formed to the likeness 
and image of the Divinity. And this is the reason, the Holy 
Ghost assures us, that " God had made man upright that is, 
blessed with uprightness ; and the royal prophet declares, that 
in his primitive state, man was scarcely inferior to the angels 
themselves. " Thou hast made him little less than the angels," 
Ps. 8. But as soon as they transgressed the divine command, 
they were degraded, to the lowest degree, both in soul and 
body. Then they forfeited the innocence, integrity, and 
uprightness in which they were created, and became liable to 
eternal damnation, which would infallibly have ensued, if the 
Almighty, in his infinite mercy, had not even then vouchsafed 
to promise them a Bedeeuier, by whose merits they might be 
saved. Then likewise they forfeited the great privilege of 
immortality they had been vested with in their creation, and 
which they would have enjoyed for ever, were it not for their 
disobedience. Then, in fine, they were banished the delicious 
garden of Paradise, made subject to death, and all the miseries 
incident to human life. 

So far the punishment related to our first parents them- 



PASSION SUNDAY. 



89 



selves. But what does it consist in, with respect to their 
posterity 1 In this, that in consequence of their disobedience, 
we are all born in sin and concupiscence, subject to death, and 
all the calamities we labour under in this world. For St. Paul 
declares, that " death is the wages of sin," and that it is . " by 
sin death entered into the world." Had our first parents con- 
tinued faithful to their Maker, as they were in reason, justice, 
and gratitude bound to do, the great and inestimable favours 
they had received in their creation, would have been trans- 
mitted to their posterity. In this supposition, we neither 
should have darkness in our understanding, weakness nor cor- 
ruption in our will ; but, on the contrary, a clear distinct 
knowledge of what is right and good, with the greatest vigour 
and facility to do and prosecute the same. Then we should 
be entire strangers to the law which reigns within us, and is 
continually warring with the law of reason, as St. Paul de- 
clares ; that is, the law of concupiscence, or those violent 
passions which are born with us, and are continually hurrying 
us on to the perpetration of evil, with such violence and im- 
petuosity as scarcely admit of any check or control. Then we 
should be liable neither to death, nor sickness, nor infirmities, 
nor sufferings of any kind. But because they sinned by trans- 
gressing the divine command, they forfeited the great blessings 
they received in their creation for themselves and their 
posterity for ever. Because they sinned we are all born in 
sin — because they sinned we are all come into the world full 
of darkness, weakness, misery and corruption. 

It must be admitted, Christians, that this original sin, 
which is common to all mankind, is washed away by baptism, 
in which we are made children of God, members of Christ, and 
heirs to the kingdom of heaven. But although the sin be for- 
given and effaced by baptism, the penalties remain, for this 
weighty and material reason — that we always continue to be 
the descendants of a guilty parent, who had incurred the dis- 
grace of God, and consequently must always continue subject 
to the consequences of his disgrace, even after being re- 
generated to new life by baptism, in Christ our Lord. 

Can anything, Christians, give us a clearer notion of the 
heinousness of sin in general, than the dreadful havoc the first 
sin of man has made, and will ever make, in every succeeding 
generation, to the end of time? To this one sin are owing the 
temporal miseries of this life, and the eternal torments of the 
next. And how atrocious must that action have appeared in 
the sight of God, which deserved to be punished with the con- 
tinual misery, the entire and eternal ruin of the greater part 

G 



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PASSION SUNDAY. 



of mankind? From this consideration, let us learn to look 
upon sin, in general, with the utmost abhorrence, as it is the 
only thing he punishes with the most inflexible severity — the 
only thing he holds in the utmost abhorrence, and the only 
thing that has already made mankind extremely unhappy in 
this world, and can make each of us, in particular, eternally 
unhappy in the world to come. 

Second— We are not only born in sin, but likewise subject 
to sin as long as we live. For St. John declares, " we all 
offend in many things ; and he that says he offendeth not, is 
a liar." However, from these words of the apostle, we are not 
to understand that we are under an absolute necessity of doing 
unrighteous things. ISTo ; it is a point of faith, an undoubted 
principle of our holy religion, that we can always, with the 
grace of God, fulfil every material point of the law, and conse- 
quently, avoid every material transgression. What the apostle 
means is, that from the frailty of human nature, the many 
dangers and temptations that assail us daily on every side, we 
frequently become guilty of many slight or slender offences. 
From this the most righteous themselves are not exempt, inas- 
much as the Holy Ghost assures us, that " the just man falls 
many times." But is the misfortune confined to this, with 
regard to the bulk of mankind % ISTo, quite the reverse ; for 
how many are there even amongst ourselves that often, too 
often, offend, I do not say in some slender and insignificant 
matters, but even in the essential obligations of religion 1 
How many are there who make so little account of the most 
grievous sins, that they seem to " swallow iniquity like water," 
as the prophet expresses if? It is only a flying thought, 
they say, a single word, a moment's pleasure or amusement. 
Granted ; but it is a thought — a word — a moment's gratifica- 
tion that offends the Divine Majesty ; and that the Almighty 
God prohibits under the severest penalties, under pain of 
eternal damnation. On this principle, the holy fathers and 
doctors of the Church assure us, it is never lawful to commit 
the least venial sin or transgression, though it were in our 
power thereby to save all mankind, and rescue the reproved 
from the torments they endure, and must ever endure, in the 
devouring flames of hell, as that could not be compassed but 
by offending the Almighty God. On the same principle, they 
teach us that sin is the greatest evil in this world, because it 
is attended with eternal perdition of both soul and body. On 
the same principle, in fine, they maintain that sin, properly 
speaking, is the only evil in this world ; as all other evils may 
be productive of good, by weaning us from the love of the 



PALM SUNDAY. 



91 



world, and affording frequent opportunities of suffering with 
humble patience and holy resignation, which must greatly 
increase our merits in the eyes of the Lord, and consequently 
the rewards that are reserved for us in the life to come. 

Seeing, therefore, Christians, that sin is in its own nature 
highly offensive to God, and extremely hurtful and detrimental 
to man, is it not justly styled, by the holy fathers and doctors 
of the Church, the greatest evil, nay, the only evil that can 
befall us 1 If so, in what light should it be considered by any 
one who squares, or means to square, his actions by the 
principles of religion 1 Were we governed by the Spirit of God, 
we would readily forego the dearest advantages of this world, 
and even sacrifice our lives, rather than offend Almighty God, 
by transgressing his holy laws. For our Saviour says in the 
Gospel, " If any one love his father and mother, brothers or 
sisters, his lands or his possessions, even his very life more than 
me, he is not worthy to be called my disciple." But who is it 
that properly reflects upon these great principles of religion 1 
Have we not been ourselves as deficient as any other in this 
respect % If we look back into our past lives, shall we be able 
to find or point out one single day free from sin ; inasmuch as 
we may justly say with the prophet, " Our iniquities, O Lord, 
exceed in number the very hairs of our heads." And what 
must be the end of these our continual transgressions of the 
divine law ? Hitherto, the Almighty has been pleased, in his 
infinite goodness, to spare and give us time to repent. Let us 
no longer abuse his mercies, lest he, being provoked, at length 
put a stop to our iniquities, by wreaking all his vengeance on 
our guilty heads. Let us rather return speedily unto the Lord, 
by forsaking our wicked ways, bewailing our former sins and 
transgressions in the bitterness of our hearts, and putting on a 
firm and unshaken resolution never to commit one mortal sin 
for any consideration whatsoever. This is the first step towards 
a reconciliation with Almighty God; by this first step once 
made, we shall soon be able, with the assistance of the Almighty, 
to rise gradually higher and higher to the practice of the great 
and sublime virtues our holy religion prescribes, which when 
practised and fulfilled, will infallibly entitle us one day to the 
joys and glory of the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



PALM SUNDAY. 

This day the Church celebrates the triumphal entry of our Lord 
and Saviour, Jesus Christ, into Jerusalem, after displaying, 



9-2 



PALM SUNDAY. 



for three years throughout all Judea, the power and goodness 
of his Godhead, in the most surprising miracles. No sooner 
did he appear before that city, which in a few days was to 
conspire his ruin, and subject him to an ignominious death, 
than the people assembled in crowds about him. To pay him 
honour and homage, some strip themselves of their garments, 
others tear away the boughs from the trees, and spread them 
along the streets that lead to the temple, whilst the rest pierce 
the air with the liveliest acclamations of joy — "Hosanna to 
the Son of David ; blessed is he who cometh in the name of 
the Lord; Hosanna in the highest !" O Christians, how sub- 
lime and instructive is a scene of this nature ! The Son of 
God appears, not in the vain trappings of human grandeur, 
but in the meekness of a lamb ; he is seated on an ass, and 
shouts of joy burst forth from the hearts and lips of all that 
behold him. 

On the approach of those happy days, when the same 
Christ, the same God that entered Jerusalem, is about to enter 
into your hearts at Easter, such should be your joys, your 
exultations. If, on the one hand, I charge you to avoid the 
crimes of the Jews in crucifying their Saviour, so would I 
recommend, to your imitation, their zeal and fervour, in 
stripping themselves of their garments ; I mean your sins and 
worldly attachments, and sincerely exult at the news I 
announce to you, that you are to visit Chiist Jesus in a few 
days in the most holy sacrament of the altar. Your desires, 
therefore, should be vehement, and your preparations pro- 
portioned to those desires ; because the greatest blessings 
now from a holy communion. We will consider what dispo- 
sitions are requisite to obtain those blessings. 

"What greater honour or advantage can any one pretend to 
than to receive Christ Jesus within his breast ; as in Christ 
Jesus are centered the most valuable blessings, and these he 
abundantly imparts in proportion to the extent and capacity 
of the soul he thus visits 1 It is an article of our faith, the 
strongest and most beautiful pillar of our holy religion, that 
in the Eucharist we receive our blessed Lord and Redeemer, 
Jesus Christ, his body, his blood, his soul, his divinity. This 
is grounded on the words of our Saviour, in the institution of 
this holy sacrament, the night before he suffered, saying — 
" This is my body ; this is my blood." Some there are who 
would have these words to imply no more than the figure of 
his body and blood. But upon what grounds 1 The very 
following words plainly show they are to be understood in the 
natural sense alone ; for our Saviour in saying, " This is my 



PALM SUNDAY. 



93 



body," adds, " which shall be given for you ; this is my biood 
which shall be shed for you." ~Now if these words were to be 
understood in a figurative sense, it would follow, that it was 
only the figure of the body of Christ that suffered for us, and 
the figure of his blood that was shed for us : a construction 
that would reduce us all into our primeval state of corruption, 
under the dominion of original sin, and liable to eternal dam- 
nation ; as nothing less than the real sufferings of Christ Jesus 
could have released us from sin, and reconciled us to his 
Father, which real sufferings must have been wanting, had 
Christ Jesus suffered only in figure. " The bread that I will 
give you," says Christ, in the sixth chapter of St. John, "is my 
flesh, for the life of the world." The Jews were offended at 
these words, because their understandings were darkened in 
consequence of their sins ; yet instead of undeceiving them, which 
he could easily have done, and would certainly have done, if 
the words were not to be understood in the plain, natural 
sense, he confirms what he had said by a most solemn oath, 
" Verily, I say unto you," observe what he says, " except ye 
eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye shall 
not have life in you." In the plain, natural sense, were those 
words understood by all the doctors and fathers, from the 
earliest establishment of the Church ; and these surely were 
good judges of the meaning of Scripture, some of whom were 
instructed by the apostles, and their immediate successors. 
Those fathers and doctors of antiquity are continually telling 
us, that in the Eucharist we receive the body and blood of 
Christ, not in figure, but in reality and substance, the very 
same body that was born of the Virgin Mary, and died on the 
cross for our redemption. The Greek and Latin Churches 
have always adored Christ Jesus in the most holy Eucharist, 
nor can it be imagined that all the faithful spread over the 
earth would have paid Christ Jesus such homage in the sacra- 
ment, were they not convinced by their pastors, from age to 
age, that Christ J esus was really and substantially present in 
the sacrament. 

To those clear and convincing proofs drawn from the words 
of Scripture, the belief of all antiquity, and the adoration con- 
stantly paid to Jesus Christ in the sacrament, by the univer- 
sal Church of God, what objection can be made] not one of 
weight or moment. The first objection is, that our Saviour 
said, " Do this in memory of me." He said so ; but this was 
a precept of love to his disciples, to offer up to his Heavenly 
Father unto the end of the world, according to the prophecy 
of Malachy, the same sacrifice, under the appearance of brea ' 



94 



PALM SUNDAY. 



and wine, which he then was preparing to offer in the tragical 
and bloody scene of his passion and death : and the Church, 
ever faithful to his commands, has continued from those days, 
and will continue to do so to the end of the world. The 
second objection is taken from the sixth chapter of St. John, 
where our Saviour says, " The flesh availeth nothing : the words 
which I speak are spirit and life." But in what sense does our 
Saviour say these words 1 To correct the erroneous ideas of 
the Capharnaites, who imagined they were to eat the flesh of 
the Son of man, in a gross and material manner ; like the flesh, 
as St. Austin has it, that was sold publicly in the markets. 
In this sense, indeed, " the flesh availeth nothing," because it is 
then considered as separated from the vivifying Spirit of God; 
but the flesh, united to this divine Spirit, taken and received in a 
spiritual, real and substantial manner in the sacrament, 
availeth much, as the same holy father observes ; otherwise the 
Word or the Son of God would have never become flesh for the 
salvation of mankind. But how is it possible that what 
appears to all our senses (a third objection) to be bread, should 
not be really so 1 — By the omnipotent power of God. He that 
changed water into wine in Cana, that gave power to Moses to 
change the water of the Nile into blood, who created all 
things out of nothing ; can it be denied, I say, that this 
Almighty, All-powerful God, can transform bread into his 
flesh, and wine into his blood % Now, the question is, has he 
done so 1 The Gospel assures us he has. All antiquity has 
constantly believed it; the Catholic writers assert it unani- 
mously ; the Church has always declared it in her decisions : 
and shall you put in competition with this demonstrative 
evidence, the testimony of our senses ? How often have not 
your senses deceived you, in mistaking one thing for another ] 
Enlightened by a noonday sun, have you not mistaken one 
man for another in passing the streets ? And shall these 
fallacious senses stand before the word of God 1 " Heaven and 
earth shall pass away, but the word of God remaineth for 
ever." The people that followed St. John on the banks of the 
Jordan beheld, at the baptism of Christ, the Holy Ghost 
descend in the form of a dove — thus we behold in the 
sacrament the form of bread ; but still we are not to credit our 
senses in this, any more than the Jews were, in that ; but 
submit them by humble faith to the dominion of God's holy 
word. Why? Because Christ has said, " This is my body; 
this is my blood." 

Almighty God, in granting us his only Son, has granted 
everything great and good ; and the most valuable blessings 



PALM SUNDAY. 



95 



necessarily flow from a worthy communion. The power and 
the mercies of God, I know, are not confined to time or place ; 
but it is a truth, that in the Holy Eucharist he gives liveliest 
expressions of his love for mankind. He treats us as he did 
Zacheus : he comes into our house, and brings along with him 
peace and salvation. On entering, he silently tells us, " He 
that eateth of my flesh, and drinketh of my blood, remaineth 
in me, and I in him." From such a union what happiness 
must flow ! All divines agree, that in this sacrament Almighty 
God pours into the heart of man such abundant graces as would 
necessarily raise and certainly fix him in a state of sanctity and 
righteousness, did it not meet with insurmountable obstacles 
on his side. It is the peculiar effect of this sacrament to 
nourish the soul, and impart all the strength and vigour it can 
admit of. Our Saviour having declared : " My flesh is truly 
meat," it follows it must have the same effect on the soul, that 
material nourishment has on the body ; namely, keeping it 
alive, and preserving it in full vigour and strength. Observe 
the effects of this divine food daily before your eyes. You 
observe lions changed into lambs, hard and flinty rocks into 
sons of Abraham — that is, inveterate sinners into good and 
righteous men; passions subdued, inveterate habits removed, 
the cold Christian made fervent and zealous. 

These blessings should animate us with the most ardent 
desires; and yet we behold the most lamentable langour, and a 
general want of these dispositions, which I shall now briefly 
touch upon. 

I do not at present mean to speak of those sublime 
dispositions of the soul, which relate merely to pure devotion 
or perfection ; nor of those long and deep reflections on our own 
unworthiness, that fervency of spirit, those eager desires of 
being united to Christ J esus in his sacrament, that generosity 
which influences our offering unto God, the day we receive, 
some little sacrifices by prayer, retirement, self-denial, or alms ; 
because all pious souls are generally mindful of those points, 
and with great reason, because, according to the opinion of 
divines, although the sacrament necessarily confers a certain 
portion of grace on all those that receive it worthily, yet there 
are many valuable and additional favours which are never 
granted but to such as receive it with particular piety and 
fervour. What I chiefly rest upon now is, that disposition 
which is absolutely necessary for receiving the sacrament 
worthily, and which consists in a certain purity of soul, or in 
being free and exempt from all mortal sin. For this sacrament 
being, as divines call it, a sacrament of the living, that is, a 



96 



PALM SUNDAY. 



sacrament which was not intended for giving or conferring, 
but for the increase and perfection of spiritual life, it follows, 
we ought not to receive it before we have received the grace of 
God. This obligation appears clear from the dignity of the 
sacrament, wherein is contained Christ Jesus, our Lord, the 
Redeemer of mankind, the God of all purity, justice, and 
holiness. Whoever, therefore, proposes, and I hope you all 
propose, to receive your Lord and your God in this sacrament, 
in the holy season we are now entering upon, must first take 
care to cleanse and purify his soul from all mortal sin, in the 
tribunal of penance — otherwise he unworthily and sacrile- 
giously receives the sacrament of the Lord, and is guilty of the 
highest abomination, according to St. Paul, speaking of this holy 
sacrament: " he that eateth and drinketh unworthily thereof, 
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the 
Lord's body." J ustly it should be so, for what greater indignity 
could be offered unto a God, than to introduce him into a heart 
polluted with sin? Or, as the same apostle argues, in his Epistle 
to the Hebrews — " If those who had transgressed the law of 
Moses were to die without mercy, how much more severely 
must they expect to be punished, who trample under foot the 
Son of God, and count the blood of the covenant by which 
they were sanctified a profane thing." If, therefore, there be 
any amongst you who refuses to renounce his evil ways, and 
repent sincerely of all his sins, let him keep off — let him fly 
from the table of the Lord; for to partake of the celestial food 
which Christ Jesus hath prepared for us in the sacrament 
without the nuptial robe of innocence, were crowning all his 
iniquities and confirming for ever his own damnation. "What 
communication can there be betwixt light and darkness, purity 
and uncleanness, godliness and iniquity 1 ?" None. "You 
cannot expect," they are the words of St. Paul, " you cannot 
expect to drink the chalice of the Lord, and the cup of devils ; 
you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the 
table of devils." 

You must not, however, imagine, that because you are sinners 
you should lay aside all thoughts of receiving the sacrament of 
the Lord. I only say you are not to receive it in a state of 
sin, because that were a most horrid sacrilege, as I already 
observed ; but you are to forsake your sins, and by sincere 
repentance, endeavour to qualify yourselves as much as human 
frailty can admit of, to draw near unto, and sit down at the 
table* of the Lord. Be pleased to observe there is here a 
double precept, the one of receiving the communion, the other 
of receiving it worthily and with due preparation ; the first is 



EASTER SUNDAY RESURRECTION. * 97 

implied in these words of Christ, " Unless you eat the flesh of 
the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life 
in you." The second is laid down by St. Paul, in his first 
Epistle to the Corinthians (xi, 28) — " Let a man prove himself ; 
and so let him eat of that bread and drink of the chalice." 
This " proving " consists in purging the soul of its crimes by 
penance, which is the first and most essential step towards a 
holy communion — a holy communion opens the treasures of 
God's grace and special favours in this life — and God's grace 
here is a certain pledge of eternal happiness hereafter. Amen. 



EASTER SUNDAY— RESURRECTION. 

Christ Jesus, "man of sorrows," and "Lamb," whom 
we beheld a few days ago, led to slaughter by his people, is this 
day risen triumphant and glorious. Clothed with immortality, 
the illustrious King of Israel, the Pride of the house of Jucla, 
arises from the grave, after conquering death, and humbling 
all the powers of hell. There is not any one festival in the 
year which the Church of God commemorates with greater 
joy, or celebrates with greater solemnity; than the resurrection 
of our Lord and Saviour J esus Christ ; because it is the 
greatest mystery of our holy religion, and forms the grounds 
of our faith ; in the primitive church, eight entire days were 
employed in solemnizing this festival, with the greatest marks 
of devotion and religion. In process of time, the solemnity 
has been confined to the holy days of Easter. This festival 
has been called by the holy fathers the particular day of the 
Lord — the festival of festivals, and the solemnity of solemni- 
ties. And with a great deal of reason, since it is on this 
solemn day that Christ Jesus, by resuming the ]ife he had laid 
down on the cross for the redemption of mankind, triumphed 
over all his enemies, subdued the empire of death, vanquished 
the powers of hell, and opened the gates of heaven, to himself 
as man, and likewise to all those who faithfully observe and 
fulfil his holy laws. For be pleased to observe, that the glory 
which the humanity of Christ enjoys in heaven, was due to his 
merits upon earth. "It was necessary Christ should suffer," 
St. Paul says, " and by that means enter the glory of God." 
Besides, as heaven was the purchase of the death of Christ, he 
could transfer it to whom he pleased ; and this he has done by 
promising it to all those that fulfil his holy laws. The resur- 
rection of our Lord is therefore the full accomplishment of 
religion, or the redemption of mankind. By the death of 



98 



EASTER SUNDAY — RESURRECTION. 



Christ, mankind have been released from sin, and reconciled 
to the Almighty God ; but by the resurrection, Christ opens 
the way to the realms of light, which he purchased for us 
upon the cross. 

When the Almighty God, Christians, had resolved, in his 
infinite wisdom, to deliver the Jews from their captivity in 
Egypt, he ordered that a lamb should be offered up in sacrifice 
in every family, and the doorposts and lintels of every house 
sprinkled with the blood of the lamb. In the night, he sent 
forth his angel, who destroyed and put to death the first-born 
amongst the Egyptians, but spared and passed by the families 
whose doorposts were sprinkled with the blood of the lamb. 
Soon after this first miraculous delivery from death, followed 
the entire delivery of the Jews from the slavery of Egypt, 
under the conduct and ministry of Moses. 

In memory of this passage of the destroying angel, and the 
departure of the Jews from Egypt, which was subsequent 
thereto, the great and solemn festival of the pasch, or pass- 
over, was instituted, as appears from the very word, which, in 
the Hebrew language, signifies departure. But this pasch, or 
passover of the Jews, was only a type or figure of the great 
pasch of the Christians ; for St. Paul says, " Christ Jesus, who 
is our pasch, or paschal lamb, has been sacrificed." And St. 
John, in the Gospel — " Christ Jesus is the Lamb of God, that 
taketh away the sins of the world." As the Jews were 
delivered from their slavery in Egypt, at the time of the in- 
stitution of their pasch, so was mankind delivered from the 
slavery of sin, at the time of the Christian pasch, or the death 
and immolation of Christ upon the cross, according to St. Paul, 
who declares that it was upon the cross that Christ Jesus 
blotted out and effaced, with his blood, the sentence of con- 
demnation which had been signed and pronounced by the 
Almighty God in heaven, against the whole race of mankind 
after the fall and prevarication of our first parents in Paradise. 

This was enough, Christians, for the redemption of mankind, 
but it was not enough for the glory of Christ, and the mani- 
festation of his Divinity. Eor as he had frequently declared 
during his mortal life, that he was the Son of God, and God 
himself — and in proof thereof, alleged that he would rise the 
third day from the dead, it was necessary he should arise, as 
he had foretold ; otherwise his promises would have remained 
unfulfilled, which must have shown him not to be what he had 
declared himself, the Son of God, and the Redeemer of the 
world. This is the reason why St. Paul says, that " if Christ 
had not risen from the dead, our religion is vain and ground- 



EASTER SUNDAY — RESURRECTION. 



99 



less f for if Christ Jesus had not risen from the dead as he 
had promised, he must have been guilty of a falsehood and 
notorious imposition, which is entirely inconsistent with the 
truth and sanctity of a God ; and consequently the whole 
system of religion, which he had established on earth, must 
necessarily fall of itself to the ground. But if Christ be risen 
from the dead, he must be then the Son of God ; for it was 
necessary for the glory of Christ, and the manifestation of his 
Divinity he^ should rise the third day : and this is in reality 
what he has done ; for although his body had been put into a 
sepulchre, or subterraneous vault, and a huge stone rolled to 
the entrance thereof — although a strong guard had been sta- 
tioned around the sepulchre to guard it, and prevent the body 
from being taken away ; yet early in the morning, when Mary 
Magdalen and others went to the sepulchre, they found the 
stone rolled away, and entering the monument, beheld an 
angel, in the shape of a young man, clothed in white, who 
said unto them, " Be not affrighted. Ye seek J esus of 
Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen ; he is not here." 

The same day that Christ Jesus appeared in his new life 
unto Mary Magdalen, he also appeared unto two of his 
disciples, and afterwards to his apostles assembled, so that his 
resurrection could no longer be doubted ; and it was known 
and attested by numbers of undeniable witnesses. Let us then 
adore Christ Jesus in his resurrection, and rejoice in spirit to 
see our God and Redeemer in possession of the glory that was 
due to his sufferings and merits, and by his impassibility and 
immortality, for ever screened from all the attempts of his 
enemies, the malice of the Jews, or the fury of hell. Christ 
J esus is now impassible — that is, no longer liable to sufferings, 
or pain, or death ; " Christ died once, but is no more to die. 
Death is no more to have any power or dominion over him." 

Christ Jesus arose from the dead, not for his own glory 
alone or the manifestation of his Divinity, but for our instruc- 
tion and improvement, to show what we are to do in order to 
partake of his glorious resurrection, or the eternal happiness 
he has promised us both in soul and body. " Christ was 
delivered for our sins," says St. Paul, " and rose again for our 
justification ;" not that the resurrection of Christ is the 
efficient cause of our justification, because we are justified or 
reconciled to the Almighty God by the death of Christ upon 
the cross ; but because the resurrection of Christ is the model 
we should propose unto ourselves, in order to attain to that 
justice and righteousness which are requisite for the enjoyment 
of the eternal happiness that hath been purchased for us upon 



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FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



the cross. This is what St. Paul sets forth, when he says f 
" Since Christ is risen from the dead, so should we also walk 
in the newness of life ;" that is, since Christ is risen from 
death to life, so should we also arise from the death of sin to 
the life of grace. This is what the fathers and doctors of the 
Church call a spiritual resurrection, or arising in spirit to God, 
which is the fruit we shall all reap from the mystery of this 
day. 

But what does this spiritual resurrection consist ml It 
consists in " purging out the old leaven of sin," as St. Paul 
says in his Epistle to the Colossians, in which the apostle 
alludes to the precept of the law, which forbids the Jews to 
keep any leaven in their houses during the pasch, and to lead- 
ing a new life in God. If you are risen with Christ, seek the 
things that are above, and not the things that are upon earth." 
'Now this spiritual resurrection should have three essential 
characters, which are all discernible in the resurrection of 
Christ, namely, it should be true, manifest, and lasting. 1st 
— It should be true ; that is, as members of Christ arisen from 
the dead, we should arise from our sinful ways, and return 
unto the Lord, not in appearance only, but in truth and 
reality. 2nd — It should be manifest ; that is, it should 
appear by our actions and conduct that we have forsaken all 
our former sinful ways, and are transformed into new men : 
for Christ was not content in arising from the dead, but was 
also pleased to show and manifest the resurrection upon every 
occasion. 3rd — It should be lasting ; that is, after arising in 
spirit, and returning sincerely to God, we should never more 
abandon his holy service : for Christ J esus, after arising from 
the dead, is no more to die, but enjoy for ever the new life he 
obtained. If we are risen in spirit in this manner, there is no 
doubt but we shall one day share in the resurrection of Christ 
Jesus, and partake, both in body and soul, of all the glory he 
is already in possession of in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

We read in this day's Gospel, Christians, that our blessed Lord 
and Redeemer, Christ Jesus, sometime after his resurrection, 
appeared in the midst of his disciples, (who had met together 
and kept themselves shut up for fear of the Jews,) and said 
unto them, " Peace be unto you." This was the gift Christ 
Jesus was pleased to make unto his disciples, in his first 
apparition. He would not bestow upon them either power or 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



101 



wealth, or the enjoyment of this world ; but his holy peace he 
gave them, saying even a second time, " Peace be unto you ; " 
which was, in reality, the greatest blessing they could receive. 
For what is the world to a man that is not in peace with God? 
Can he enjoy the least comfort or satisfaction upon earth? Is 
not his whole life one continued scene of uneasiness and 
misery 1 " Who is it that resists God," says Job, " and has 
any peace within him 1" I know that sinners very often put 
on a face of tranquillity ; but could we draw the veil aside, 
and see into their hearts, there we should find a continual hell 
from the stings of their conscience, the disturbance and 
agitation of their passions, and the lively apprehensions they 
continually live under, of meeting the just punishments they 
deserve for their repeated sins and transgressions. The Holy 
Ghost declares by the Prophet Isaiah, that " impious and 
ungodly men have no peace;" and by the Prophet Jeremiah — 
" They may talk of peace, but they never have it in their 
hearts." 

And indeed, Christians, how is it possible for any one to 
enjoy peace or tranquillity within him, who knows he is an 
enemy to Almighty God, and in consequence thereof exposed 
to fall every moment into the devouring flames of hell 1 Now, 
this is precisely the situation of every sinner, from whence it 
follows, they can have no true peace of mind, nor enjoyment 
of heart. There are some sinners, you may say, who seem 
pretty easy and undisturbed in their minds, in the very height 
of their iniquities. I confess such there may be. But to what 
is that owing 1 Nothing less than their having carried their 
iniquities to such a pitch, as to become insensible of the 
judgments of God. As in the common course of nature there 
is a certain lethargy, wherein the most painful incisions, or the 
very application of fire, may not be felt, so there is in the 
spiritual ways of heaven a certain hardness or insensibility, 
which people entertain little or no apprehensions about, or the 
terrible effects of divine justice to which such a situation 
constantly exposes them. But this is no real calm, or if it be, 
it is a calm of worse consequence than the most violent storm ; 
because it lulls us asleep in the very midst of dangers, and 
upon the very brink of destruction. If, therefore, you would 
avoid this misfortune, and obtain that peace which Christ Jesus 
bestowed upon his disciples, you must renounce your sinful 
ways, and return sincerely unto the Lord, by a true repentance, 
and a thorough reformation of life — for peace and tranquillity 
are the necessary attendants upon virtue and justice, as appears 
from these words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, "Take 



102 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



my yoke upon you, and you shall find rest unto your souls ; w 
and St. Paul further assures us, " that the kingdom of .God is 
justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." 

In confirmation hereof, I shall only appeal to your own 
experience. What joy, what pleasure have you not felt within 
your own breasts, as often as you returned sincerely unto the 
Lord ! The strong and lively hopes you entertained of having 
received the pardon of all your sins, and of being reconciled to 
Almighty God, filled your souls with inexpressible delight. 
Had these moments continued, what happiness could be equal 
to yours ! But it is in your own power, Christians, to continue 
and persevere in this happy situation, by avoiding everything 
that may deprive you of the friendship and favour of Almighty 
God, and hinder him from pouring forth his consolations into 
your souls. 

If you do this, "the peace of God, which surpasses all con- 
ception," as St. Paul says, " will certainly dwell in your hearts 
and your minds." For we read in the Gospel of this day, that 
when Christ Jesus appeared amongst his disciples, they were 
extremely glad. His presence dispelled in one single moment 
the grief they were in for his death, removed the apprehensions 
they were under, of his not being risen from the dead, and 
undoubtedly filled their souls with joy and delight. But be 
pleased to observe, that this blessing was the effect of the 
presence of Christ Jesus. Thomas, who was then absent, had 
no share in it. If, therefore, you mean to partake of the 
inward joy and tranquillity which proceed from the Spirit of 
God, Christ Jesus must be present unto your souls, by the in- 
fluence and impression of his holy grace. The moment you 
give up or forfeit his holy grace, by transgressing his laws, you 
necessarily lose the presence of Christ, and consequently all the 
advantages that flow from it. In this situation you must be 
filled with doubts, anxiety, and apprehensions, as St. Thomas 
was before he enjoyed the presence of Christ Jesus. 

The misfortune, however, of St. Thomas, arising from the 
absence of Christ Jesus, did not long continue; for shortly after 
he vouchsafed to appear to his apostles, while Thomas was with 
them, which removed all his uneasiness, and made him 
partaker of the blessings and spiritual joys the other apostles 
had already enjoyed. This favour was the more to be valued, 
as Thomas had rendered himself extremely unworthy of it, by 
his obstinacy and incredulity. Although the other apostles 
had assured him that Christ had appeared unto them, in his 
new life, yet he would not give any credit thereunto, but 
declared, on the contrary, he never would believe it until he 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 103 

saw him with his eyes, as the scripture says, and felt the very 
wounds he had received. When our Saviour appeared after 
that, he desired Thomas to draw near, and put his finger into 
the wounds, upon which Thomas cried out, " My Lord and 
my God." At the same time our Saviour thought proper to 
make him a public reproach for his obstinacy and incredulity, 
saying, " Because thou hast seen, Thomas, thou hast believed ; 
happy are those that believe and do not see : be not incredulous, 
but faithful." 

Here it may be asked, if St. Thomas had any merit in 
acknowledging Christ J esus risen from the dead, after seeing 
him with his eyes, and touching him with his hands, " since 
faith," according to St. Paul, "is the belief of those things 
that are invisible." In answer to this question, the holy 
fathers say, that St. Thomas did merit in reality by the con- 
fession he made of Christ J esus. For although he saw him in 
the flesh, yet it was not his humility alone that he acknow- 
ledged, but his divinity also, in • proclaiming Christ not only 
his Lord, but his God. It is however plain, that St. Thomas 
had not that humble and simple faith Christ recommends, 
saying, " Happy are those that believe and see not." This is 
the faith that should animate us all at this period. Let us 
therefore believe and confess that Christ Jesus is truly risen 
from the dead, and in possession of immortal life. Let us like- 
wise apply ourselves to lead a new life with Christ Jesus 
risen from the dead, by dying to sin, and living to God alone. 
If we do, we shall be one day partakers of the resurrection of 
Christ, and of the eternal peace he has promised his disciples 
in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

The whole scope of the Gospel this day, is no other than to 
show that Christ Jesus was truly the Redeemer of mankind, 
inasmuch as he laid down his life for their salvation ; "I am 
the good shepherd," our Saviour says, "and the good shepherd 
giveth his life for his flock f whereas all others only consult 
their own interests, and are very far from sacrificing themselves 
for the good and benefit of their flock. By these words, our 
Saviour meant a silent reproach to the Pharisees, who looked 
upon themselves as the head directors and pastors of the people ; 
but were by no means deserving of that title, inasmuch as they 
had not the dispositions that were requisite for that purpose — 
a willingness and readiness to lay down their very lives for the 



104 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



good of the flock. But Christ J esus had these dispositions in 
reality, as appears from his conduct and actions, in laying down 
his life for the good of mankind; it follows plainly that he was 
the good shepherd or pastor, and should have been acknowledged 
as such. The hireling, or mercenary pastor, our Saviour says, 
is always careless, always negligent, always heedless of the 
necessities of the flock. The moment he sees danger ap- 
proaching, he abandons the flock, and flies for his own safety, 
and by flying in the time of danger, gives up his flock a prey 
to the voracious enemy — "But I am the good shepherd, and i 
know my sheep;" that is, I examine them carefully, watch over 
them constantly, provide them with everything that is 
necessary, and guard them against any danger they may be 
threatened with, even at the expense of my own life. 

" I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and my 
sheep know me." Here is a certain rule for distinguishing all 
those that are truly of the flock of Christ; viz., acknowledging 
their pastor, and obeying his voice, for "my sheep know 
me," Christ says, " and obey my voice." If therefore any one 
should refuse acknowledging their lawful pastors, or obeying 
their voice, it is plain they cannot be deemed a part of the 
flock of Christ. For as all lawful pastors are established by 
Christ Jesus, for feeding his flock, that is, instructing, direct- 
ing, and governing the faithful in matters relating to salvation, 
to resist them, or not to obey their directions, is manifestly re- 
sisting or not obeying the instructions of Christ. Christ Jesus 
might indeed, if he had thought proper, have made all the 
faithful equal in power and authority ; and have directed 
them by the immediate influence of his Holy Spirit in the 
ways of heaven, to the end of time. But he has been pleased 
to dispose and ordain things in a different manner : " for some 
he has appointed apostles," as St. Paul says, "and some 
prophets ; others he has made doctors, and others pastors." 
Seeing therefore that Christ Jesus has been pleased to appoint 
pastors in his Church, or men whose business it is to instruct, 
direct, govern — in a word, to feed his flock, it follows that 
those pastors should be acknowledged and obeyed by all 
those that are subordinate to their care and direction. This 
subordination and submission of the flock to their lawful pas- 
tors is so essential an obligation, as to hold good, even when 
the pastors themselves may be reproachable in their conduct; 
according to that observation of our blessed Saviour, " The 
Scribes and Pharisees have sat in the chair of Moses ; do ye 
therefore as they say, and not as they do ;" the reason is, 
because the immorality of any man, neither can, nor should 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



105 



prejudice the institutions of Christ. Although a pastor were 
reproachable, he is indeed accountable to God, and also to his 
superiors ; but accountable as he is, he is yet the minister of 
Christ, and the pastor of a certain portion of the flock. In 
this character they have a right to be acknowledged and 
obeyed, when they prescribe nothing but what is conformable 
to the laws of God ; for our Saviour, in talking of the pastors 
of the Church, says, " He that despiseth you, despiseth me." 
Yet_ should any pastor, or any superior, command anything 
unlawful, we are not obliged to obey ; but, on the contrary, to 
resist and disobey ; for " all power," the apostle says, " is 
granted for edification, and not for destruction." 

But whom are we to understand, Christians, by the name 
of pastor 1 ? 1st — We are chiefly and principally to understand 
the head of the Church, who is the supreme and universal 
head, or pastor of the flock of Christ, as appears from these 
words of Christ Jesus in the Gospel, " Peter, feed my lambs," 
in general; and again, " Feed my sheep," meaning the pastors 
themselves. 2nd — We are to understand by the pastors of the 
flock of Christ, in a particular manner, the bishops ; because 
they have been particularly instituted to govern and feed 
the flock of Christ ; as appears from these words of St. Paul, 
"Take heed unto yourselves and the universal flock over 
which the Holy Ghost has placed you bishops, to govern the 
Church of God." In the beginning of the Church, there were 
no other pastors than bishops. When the faithful began 
greatly to increase and multiply, then the care and superin- 
tendence of part of the flock of Christ were committed to 
priests. It was likewise to the bishops alone, as successors of 
the apostles, that Christ Jesus promised infallibility ; saying, 
" I will send you the Comforter, who will teach you all truth;" 
and again, "Lo ! I am with you until the end of the world." 
This is the reason why bishops alone have a right to pronounce 
upon points of doctrine, in councils that are held for as- 
certaining or clearing up any point of faith. Doctors 
and divines are employed in discussing and preparing the 
points that are laid before the council ; but the bishops alone, 
as the infallible judges of the doctrine of Christ, have a right 
to decide. 

We are not, however, to imagine that every pastor or 
bishop is an infallible judge of the doctrine of Christ. No; 
this infallibility in sound doctrine, which is the greater part 
of the pastoral care, is lodged in the body, or majority of the 
pastors or bishops, teaching and directing the flock, jointly 
with and under the direction of the head of the Church ; that 

H 



106 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



is, we are to understand that Christ Jesus, who has promised 
to his Church the continual assistance and direction of his 
Holy Spirit, will never permit the greater number of the pas- 
tors or bishops to teach unto the flock any other than the 
true doctrine of Christ. One pastor or bishop, nay, many 
pastors or bishops may go astray, and run into error, as hath 
been frequently the case ; but then the rest of the pastors never 
fail to rise up against the spreading error, and indicate by 
their writings the true doctrine of Christ. 3rd — By the name 
of pastors, we are to understand the priests, to whom the 
government of a part of the flock is committed by the 
bishops. All others are no more than auxiliaries. They may, 
from a spirit of zeal, or Christian charity, labour in the vine- 
yard of the Lord, and, like the pastors, they are accountable 
in conscience for the flock. 

" I have other sheep," our Saviour says in the Gospel of 
this day, " that are not of this fold ; them also I must bring- 
in, and they will hear my voice ; and there shall be one fold 
and one shepherd." By these words our Saviour points out the 
vocation or conversion of the Gentiles, who had been brought 
into the fold or Church of Christ, by a pure effect of the 
mercy of God. They were not originally in this fold, because 
they were not the chosen people of God — this chosen people 
were the Jews, as being the posterity of Abraham, to whom 
the promises were made. But they have been brought into 
the fold, by being converted to the faith of Christ ; so that there 
is now no more than one fold, and one pastor ; that is, one 
Church, which contains all those that believe in Christ — the 
Greek and the Barbarian ; the Jew and the Gentile. In like 
manner, one pastor — that is, Christ Jesus, who is the head 
and invisible pastor of all those that believe in him. How 
thankful should we be to the Almighty God, for having 
brought us into the fold of Christ ! We were all out of the 
fold, as being descended from the Gentiles, to whom the pro- 
mises were not made. Yet the Almighty God has brought us 
into the fold, in his infinite mercy, in preference to thousands 
of others, who still remain in the darkness of infidelity and 
error. Let us then make the proper use of this singular 
blessing, by remaining all our lives within the fold, and obey- 
ing constantly the voice of our heavenly pastor ; that is, 
complying faithfully with the doctrine of Christ. If we do, we 
shall not only partake of his choicest blessings upon earth, but 
likewise share eternally in the glory and happiness of his 
heavenly kingdom. Amen. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



107 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

After our blessed Lord and Redeemer, Christ Jesus, had risen 
from the dead, he remained forty days upon earth, conversing 
with his apostles, the Scripture says, and informing them of all 
things relating to the kingdom of God ; that is, the establish- 
ment and government of his Church upon earth. During this 
period he took frequent opportunities of comforting his 
disciples, and preparing their minds for his departure from 
them, and the uneasiness they must necessarily feel, from want 
of his divine presence, as he was shortly afterwards to ascend 
into heaven, and take possession of his kingdom in the bosom 
of his Father. With this view, Christ says to his disciples, "A 
little while and you shall not see me :" meaning, my stay with 
you is to be but short. In a few days I shall quit you/ and 
ascend unto my Father, from whom I came. But then do not 
imagine that I mean to abandon you : no ; " again, a little 
while, and you shall see me." After the short course of your 
mortal life is over, you shall see me in my kingdom, where you 
shall reign with me for ever and ever. In the meantime, 
during your passage here below, " you shall lament and weep; 
but the world shall rejoice." 

Can anything be more surprising, Christians, than this con- 
duct of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, towards his own 
disciples, whom he had promised to bless for ever, with his 
own presence, in the kingdom of heaven 1 They were his own 
disciples ; that is, his favourites and friends, whom he had 
chosen out of the world, to put into possession of the kingdom 
of heaven ; and yet he assures them, that during their conver- 
sation upon earth, they are to weep and lament. "The 
world," he says, " shall rejoice ; but you shall be sorrowful." 
From these words, the holy fathers say, it plainly follows, that 
nothing can be more inconsistent with eternal happiness than 
the happiness of this world. For if it were not so, surely the 
Almighty God would not have failed to bestow a great share 
of this happiness upon his own disciples. It was in his power, 
master as he was, and Lord of the whole creation, to bestow 
on his friends riches, power, and pleasure. Yet he not only 
refused doing so, but declared unto them, as his disciples, " ye 
shall weep and lament." Surely what the eternal wisdom of 
God was pleased to choose for his own favourites, must be what 
is most valuable in the eyes of God, and should likewise be 
most valuable in the eyes of every Christian. The mis- 
fortune, however, is, that people generally fix their hearts in the 
happiness of this world, without ever thinking, or thinking as 



108 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



they ought, of the happiness of the world to come : the conse- 
quence of which must be, to rejoice in this world, as our 
Saviour says, and afterwards to be condemned to eternal 
misery and pain. For eternal happiness will be granted, as is 
promised, to those alone that love and serve God faithfully in 
this life. Now nothing can be more destructive of the love of 
God than the love of the world, for St. John says, "If any one 
love this world, the love of God the Father is not in him;" as 
the love of God necessarily implies and requires that the 
Almighty rule over all our affections and desires, that we be 
always united unto him, and ready upon every occasion to 
sacrifice every interest and advantage to the observation of 
his holy laws; which can never be the case where the love of 
this world prevails in our hearts. On the contrary, where the 
love of this world prevails, people are always ready to trans- 
gress the most material points of the law, for the interests of 
this world. And this is the reason why Christ Jesus has laid 
this world under the heaviest curses and maledictions, saying, 
"Woe be unto the world." Not the material world — the 
heavens, the earth, the seas, or any other part of the creation, 
but the moral, rather the immoral world ; or in other words, 
all those that fix their hearts upon this world, or the riches, 
honours, and pleasures of it, to the prejudice of that supreme 
love they necessarily owe unto the Almighty God. 

What, then, is the very first thing a Christian should do, in 
order to attain to eternal happiness? He should disengage, 
and is bound in conscience, under pain of eternal damnation, 
to disengage his heart, and keep it disengaged from the love 
of this world. " Do not love this world," St. John says, "nor 
the things that are in this world." If you do, you cannot love 
the Almighty God ; and if you do not love the Almighty 
God, it is plain you constantly transgress the first and greatest 
precept of the law — "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with 
all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength ;" 
and if you constantly transgress the first and greatest precept 
of the law, it is likewise plain you can have no pretension to 
heaven ; but, on the contrary, must be for ever a victim to the 
devouring flames of hell ! 

Moreover, what should induce us more powerfully to dis- 
engage our hearts from this world, is, that it was never 
intended as a place of happiness for man. No. In the prin- 
ciples of religion it is rather a place of exile — a vale of tears — 
a place of trial and sufferings — a passage to immortal life. It 
is, as it were, the stage, whereon every man is to act that part 
assigned to him by the Almighty God, in the different 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



109 



stations of life, and thereby entitle himself to the eternal 
rewards of the life to come. What then can be more unreason- 
able or more preposterous in any man, than to fix his heart 
on this world, and place his affection on things that can never 
make him happy, but, on the contrary, lead directly to ever- 
lasting misery and pain Yet we daily see numbers of Chris- 
tians that are as anxious for, and have as great a tie in this 
world, as if it were to last for ever, or that they could for ever 
enjoy the riches and pleasures thereof. But a few moments 
will undeceive them. Death will soon strip them of all they 
ever amassed, and make them sensible, when too late, of the 
error they were guilty of, in preferring the perishable wealth 
of this world to the everlasting treasures of heaven. Then 
will they comprehend, but with no advantage, the full meaning 
of these words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, "What 
doth it avail a man to gain the whole world, and to lose his 
soul? Or what is it that can make the least amends or com- 
pensation for the loss of his soul T Whoever loves this 
world, or suffers the love thereof to prevail in his heart, and 
overrule his affections, must necessarily lose his soul, "because 
it is impossible," our Saviour says, "to serve two masters, God 
and the world." 

If therefore, Christians, you mean to prevent this great and 
irretrievable misfortune, that is, the loss of your own souls — 
you must disengage your hearts from the love of this world, 
and turn all your thoughts and affections upon the kingdom 
of heaven. By this step, it is certain you deprive yourselves 
of a great deal of the pleasures, of the comforts, and advantages 
of the world; but this privation will lead you infallibly to 
eternal joys and everlasting happiness. " Now, indeed, you 
have sorrows," our Saviour says to his disciples in the Gospel 
of this day, " but I will see you again, in the kingdom of 
heaven, and your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man 
shall take from you." Is it not then vastly better to have 
sorrows in this life, with the disciples of Christ Jesus, for a 
very short time, and afterwards rejoice for ever with him in 
the kingdom of heaven, than rejoice for a very short time in 
this world, and be afterwards condemned for ever in the ever- 
lasting flames of hell to inexpressible misery and pain 1 
Surely there is not the least room for doubt or hesitation in 
an alternative of this kind. But what is that sorrow which 
Providence has made the lot of all his true and faithful dis- 
ciples % 1st — It is the sorrow, compunction, and repentance 
— that sorrow which was familiar to David : "I watered my 
couch with my tears to Ezechias — " Recogitabo," etc. 2nd — 



110 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



It is the hardships that all good Christians must labour under 
during their sorrowful pilgrimage here below. Let us there- 
fore embrace that party which is attended with sorrow in this 
life, but must, in the end, necessarily deliver us from eternal 
misery, and put us in possession of everlasting happiness in 
the realms of light. Amen. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

As the time was drawing near when our Saviour was to quit 
this material world, and ascend unto his Father, he frequently 
entertained his disciples with his design, and even frequently 
put it in their way to ask him questions relating thereto, of 
which we have a remarkable instance in the Gospel of this day, 
where our Saviour says — "I am going unto him that sent me; 
and none of you ask me whither do you goV St. Peter and 
St. Thomas had already asked the question, as we read in the 
13th and the 14th chapter of St. John; but our Saviour would 
have them still ask him many more questions upon that head, 
in order to inform them fully of everything concerning his 
departure from this world. But even now that they were 
encouraged thereto by our blessed Redeemer, they had not the 
courage to question him, so great was their grief and concern 
for being in a short time to be deprived of the presence of 
their Heavenly Master. This our Saviour was sensible of; 
for which reason he said unto them, "It is expedient If or you 
that I go ; for if I did not go, the Paraclete or Spirit Com- 
forter will not come unto you : but if I go, I will send him 
unto you." For in the decrees of the eternal wisdom of God, 
it had been resolved the Holy Ghost should not be sent, or 
descend upon the apostles, until after the ascension of Christ 
Jesus into heaven; therefore, it was necessary Christ Jesus 
should go unto his Father, in order to send the Paraclete, or 
the Spirit of God, unto his apostles. The promise Christ 
Jesus made his apostles of sending them the Holy Ghost, must 
undoubtedly have been a great consolation unto them in their 
affliction; as it was the liveliest expression of the inexpressible 
love Christ Jesus bore them, and an undoubted pledge of the 
eternal happiness he had so often promised. 

This divine Spirit "when he shall come," our Saviour 
says, " shall convince the world of sin, of justice, and of 
judgment." Of sin, because the Jews were guilty of sin 
in not believing the divinity of Christ. What could be 
more criminal, more sinful in the Jews, than openly to resist 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



Ill 



and shut their eyes wilfully against the light that shined 
for many years so refulgently amongst them ; and not 
submit to the many strong and undeniable proofs Christ 
Jesus had given them by his works and miracles of being the 
Son of God and Redeemer of mankind 1 Now the Spirit of 
God, by inspiring the apostles, and filling them with divine 
strength to preach and establish the divinity of Christ all over 
the world, has convinced the world, in fact, of the sin those 
were guilty of who rejected the Son of God, and made him 
suffer besides a most cruel and ignominious death. The Spirit 
of God has further convinced the world of sin in this sense, 
that it manifestly appears from that religion which has been 
established all over the world, under the direction and in- 
fluence of the Spirit of God, that "we are all sinners, and 
stand in need,' 5 as St. Paul says, "of the glory of God that 
is, his grace and his mercy. 

2nd — The Spirit of God has likewise convinced the world 
of justice; because, although the Jews fancied that no one 
could be justified but by the law of Moses, yet he has made 
it appear, through the intervention of his apostles, that 
Christ Jesus is the eternal justice and righteousness itself : 
consequently, that there is no attaining to justice and righteous- 
ness, but by acknowledging his merits, and complying faithfully 
with his most just and righteous laws. 

3rd — The Spirit of God has convinced the world of judg- 
ment ; because it appears plainly from the establishment of 
Christianity, that, " all power was given unto Christ, both in 
heaven and on earth," as he declares himself in the Gospel ; 
and that he has already exerted this power, by judging and 
condemning the prince of this world, as we have it in the Gospel 
of this day — that is, destroying and overturning the empire of 
Satan, and establishing the reign of truth, religion, and godli- 
ness on the ruins of error, idolatry, and corruption : besides that 
he is one day to come, as he hath promised, to judge both the 
living and the dead. The Spirit of God hath therefore con- 
vinced the world, not only of the judgment Christ Jesus has 
already passed upon Satan, the prince of this world, but 
likewise of the judgment he is to pass upon all mankind, as 
supreme judge of the living and the dead. 

Consider then with yourselves, Christians, that you are all 
in your turn to undergo this judgment of Christ, not only on 
the last day, or in the general resurrection of the dead, but 
even the very moment you expire ; for St. Paul says — "It is 
decreed every man shall die, and after this be judged." But 
what judgment are we likely to meet with at the great and 



112 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



dreadful tribunal of Christ % A judgment of mercy, or a 
judgment of severity 1 Shall we be judged worthy of mercy 
and eternal happiness, or doomed to eternal misery and pain 1 
One thing is certain : we will all be judged according to our 
works, or the manner in which we. lived on earth : and our 
fate determined for ever agreeably to the judgment that shall 
be passed on us at that decisive moment of time. If this great 
principle of religion were always present unto our minds, 
undoubtedly it would prevent our doing anything that may 
bring us under a heavy and intolerable judgment at the 
tribunal of Christ. " Memorare novissima tua." 

Before the descent of the Spirit, the apostles themselves 
were ignorant, timid, and weak. " When the Spirit of truth 
shall come," our Saviour says, " he shall teach you all truth." 
It was this Divine Spirit that opened the minds of the apostles 
after coming down upon them ; enlightened their understand- 
ings, gave them intelligence of the Scriptures, taught them, in 
a word, all truth, and endowed them with knowledge and 
courage to publish and display to the world all things relating 
unto God. It is the same Divine Spirit that even now guides 
and directs the successors of the apostles, the pastors of the 
Church, in every saving truth of religion, so as never to suffer 
them to mistake the true meaning of the Scriptures ; never to 
approve of any point of doctrine contrary to the doctrine of 
Christ, nor any principles of morality, but what is agreeable to 
the rules and maxims of Christ. " Lo ! I am with you, unto 
the end of the world;" not visibly in person, because he has left 
this world, and ascended unto his Father ; but in his Divine 
Spirit, whom he left to his Church, to preside over it to the 
end of the world. Finally, it is the same Divine Spirit that 
now inwardly directs and instructs every one of the faithful in 
the execution of the laws of Christ. The children of God, St. 
Paul says, " are actuated by the Spirit of God. Diffusa est 
gratia." And again the same apostle says, " we know not how 
to pray, but the Spirit prayeth within us with ineffable or inex- 
pressible sighs." Therefore, every good work of ours, every 
step we advance towards heaven, proceeds from the Spirit of 
God. For it is not possible to do any good without having 
the previous thought and desire of doing it. Now, these 
thoughts and desires proceed from the inspiration of the Holy 
Ghost. It is the Spirit of God that enlightens our under- 
standing, and inspires us with the thoughts of prayer, or 
performing any other exercise of religion, and at the same 
time excites our hearts to carry the pious thought or inspira- 
tion into execution. As often as we obey these inward 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



suggestions or solicitations to good, we obey the Spirit of 
God ; and as often as we resist them we resist the Spirit of 
God. " You always resist the Holy Ghost," St. Stephen said 
unto the Jews, when he reproached them for having put Christ 
Jesus to death, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles. And 
may not the same reproach be made in some manner to our- 
selves % How often have we resisted, and still continue to 
resist, the inward touches and inspirations of the Spirit of 
God % Is there any one that does not feel within himself many 
pious thoughts and desires 1 At least, let us be more atten- 
tive and faithful for the time to come, to the inward voice of 
the Spirit of God. He will teach us inwardly to fulfil the 
saving truths he has already revealed unto the Church of 
Christ ; and thereby enable us to partake one day of the joys 
and glory of the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

In the Gospel of this day, we have the comfortable promise 
Christ J esus made to his disciples, that whatever they should 
ask his Father in his name, should be granted them. This 
promise of Christ Jesus is the ground-work and foundation of 
prayer. For if we pray, it is because Christ J esus hath pro- 
mised our prayer shall be heard. If the promise had not been 
made, we might indeed pray, but could have no assurance of 
being heard ; for asking barely a favour, does not necessarily 
imply the favour must be granted. On the contrary, it follows, 
from the very nature of prayer or petition, that it may be 
granted or rejected, inasmuch as the execution depends entirely 
on the will of the person to whom the prayer is made. But if 
Christ Jesus hath promised our prayer shall be heard, there 
can be no room for doubt or hesitation, because he was God, 
and the Son of God, and because what a God promises must 
necessarily be fulfilled; otherwise he were guilty of a falsehood 
and deception, which is entirely inconsistent with the very 
notion all mankind have of the Divinity. 

Now that he hath promised is plain from the words of the 
Gospel this day — " If you ask my Father anything in my name, 
he will give it you." Here then we have, first — the express 
and solemn promise of Christ Jesus, that our prayers shall be 
heard : and second — the condition on which the promise is 
made, viz., praying in the name of Christ Jesus alone, " If you 
ask my Father anything in my name." For St. Paul observes, 
" It is through Christ Jesus alone that we have access unto 



114 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



his Heavenly Father, as he is the only mediator of power and 
merit between God and man." All other intercession or 
application derives its merit from, and must terminate in, 
the intercession of Christ. Christ J esus, by praying for ns 
unto his Father, while he lived upon earth, has merited and 
obtained that our prayers should be agreeable unto God, and 
after obtaining this, he signified it unto man, by the promise 
he hath made, that " whatever we should ask his Father in 
his name, should be granted us ; " and this is the reason why 
the Church always terminates the prayers and orations of the 
public liturgy or divine service, in the name and through the 
merits of Christ. 

But what is it Christ Jesus hath promised should be granted 
us 1 All the spiritual blessings that are necessary for our sal- 
vation. The forgiveness of our sins, the graces and assistances 
we stand in need of to fulfil his holy law, and persevere in 
justice and righteousness unto the end of our lives. For, be 
pleased to observe, there are on the side of man two great 
obstacles to salvation — his sins and his weakness. His sins, 
were they not ^forgiven, would for ever exclude him from the 
kingdom of heaven; nor would his weakness suffer him to fulfil 
the law, which is a necessary title to the kingdom of heaven. 
What Christ Jesus hath then promised, after obtaining it him- 
self through his own merits, is the remission of our sins, and 
the graces whereby we are enabled to overcome our natural 
weakness, fulfil the law, and by fulfilling the law, become 
entitled to the kingdom of heaven. I have said, Christians, 
that Christ hath promised us the spiritual blessings that are 
necessary for salvation, because there are many spiritual 
blessings, such as the power of working miracles, the gift of 
tongues, the gift of prophecy or contemplation, which are not 
requisite for salvation, nor consequently implied in the 
promises of Christ. These are pure gratuitous gifts, he grants 
to whom and when he thinks proper, for the manifestation of 
his own glory; but has not promised them to the faithful in 
general, or to any one, as they are unnecessary for salvation. 

Second — Christ Jesus hath promised us, likewise, such 
temporal blessings as may be necessary for us; and this 
appears from one of the petitions of our Lord's prayer, " Give 
us this day our daily bread." Third — He has promised such 
temporal blessings as may be useful and conducive to our sal- 
vation, as in the case of persons often restored to health by the 
prayers of holy men, when their recovery was necessary to give 
them time to repent. From this it follows, that in conse- 
quence of the promise Christ hath made us, every one of the 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



115 



faithful has a right to call for, and expect from the bounty of 
God, through the merits of Christ, all the spiritual blessings 
he stands in need of, and likewise such temporal advantages as 
are necessary for the support of life or may be conducive to 
his eternal happiness. As for anything else, either wealth, 
prosperity, health, or success, in temporal affairs, they were 
never promised ; nor have we any right to call for them, but 
with the restrictions and limitations I haVe mentioned. But 
the misfortune is, that people are vastly more anxious for the 
advantages of this world (that are not included in the promise, 
and which they never will receive, at least in consequence of 
prayer) than for the spiritual blessings that are promised abso- 
lutely, and without any condition or restriction ; and which 
they would infallibly receive, did they call for them in the 
name, and through the merits of Christ Jesus, as we have it set 
forth in the Gospel of this day. 

What, then, have we to do, Christians 1 To pray fervently 
and frequently in the name and through the merits of Christ 
Jesus. For it is impossible for us to fulfil the law, which is a 
necessary condition for attaining to eternal happiness, but by 
the grace and assistance of God ; nor can we receive the grace 
and assistance of God but by prayer. "Ask, and you shall 
receive," our Saviour says ; " seek, and you shall find." If we 
do not ask, we will not receive ; if we do not seek, we shall not 
find. The Almighty God, it is most certain, could indeed 
relieve us in all our wants, without any prayer or application 
on our side, if he thought proper so to do — but he is pleased 
to act otherwise ; and orders, that relief be called for before he 
grants it, in order to keep us in continual subjection to him, 
and thereby manifest his supreme dominion over all his crea- 
tures. But how many are there that neglect complying with 
this wise and necessary disposition of Providence, who seldom 
pray, and never as they ought ? How many are there that let 
whole and whole weeks pass, without making the least ap- 
plication to the Lord 1 Without laying their wants and 
necessities before him, and calling for his most powerful 
assistance ? Too many, indeed ! Is it then surprising they 
should feel the whole weight of the corruption of human nature? 
That they should be slaves to their passions, and so weak as to 
yield to every temptation, and transgress the divine laws as 
often as the occasion offers 1 If they would but pray, and pray 
frequently and fervently, and pray in the name and through 
the merits of Christ Jesus, they certainly would receive such 
graces and assistance as would enable them to subdue their 
passions, resist every temptation, and fulfil the law in every 



116 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE ASCENSION. 



material point. If they would but pray, they would obtain 
the grace to persevere in justice and righteousness to the very 
end of their lives, and, by that means, become partakers of all 
the joys and glory of the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE ASCENSION. 

ON THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

The Church of God, Christians, in commemorating during this 
octave the ascension of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
proposes to our consideration what the Scripture relates of that 
mystery which is the end or completion of the life of Christ 
upon earth. Although our Saviour had frequently told his 
disciples that his stay amongst them was to be but short — that 
he would soon quit them and ascend unto his Father, yet he 
never informed them of the day or moment of his departure. 
This they remained ignorant of until the very moment it 
happened, which was forty days after his resurrection from the 
dead. In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that Christ J esus, 
after shewing himself alive for forty days after his passion 
unto his disciples ; after acquainting them that their chief 
business should be to attest his resurrection from the dead, 
over all Judea and Samaria, to the remotest parts of the earth; 
and after commanding them not to depart from Jerusalem 
until they received the Holy Ghost, whom he had promised to 
send : we read, I say, in the first chapter of the Acts, that Christ 
Jesus, after all these things, whilst he and his apostles were 
assembled together on Mount Olivet, was raised up to heaven 
in their presence, the eyes of his apostles being constantly fixed 
upon him as he ascended, until at length a cloud concealed him 
from their view. 

On this occasion it is easy to conceive the joy and sorrow 
that alternately agitated the minds of the apostles — joy for this 
sublime end of all the sufferings of their Lord on earth ; and 
sorrow for their individual loss, in being deprived of the divine 
presence of their Master. During the time that Christ J esus 
lay in the sepulchre, after expiring on the cross, they certainly 
must have felt the deepest affliction. Yet the very hopes they 
had of seeing him risen from the dead the third day, as he had 
foretold, must have been a great mitigation of their sorrow ; 
and their hopes fulfilled in his resurrection, must have turned 
their sorrow into the liveliest joy. After a short privation they 
beheld him ; and became once more blessed with his presence. 
Even on the third day, Christ Jesus manifested himself to, and 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE ASCENSION. 



117 



conversed with his disciples, and continued conversing with 
them upon several occasions for forty days. But at his 
ascension his apostles could have no hopes of ever seeing him 
again, until they were to join him in his heavenly kingdom ; 
which must undoubtedly have filled their hearts with sorrow, 
anxiety, and anguish. 

This is certainly the reason why they continued, as the 
sacred text informs us, in the same place, their eyes lifted up 
towards heaven, and fixed upon the way our blessed Re- 
deemer took to ascend unto his Heavenly Father. As their 
hearts and affections were centred in their Master, they 
would at least follow him in spirit, and contemplate with grief 
and delight the very track or vestige of his departure from 
this world. Here they remained entirely taken up with, or 
rather lost in contemplation of, Christ Jesus ascending 
into heaven, until they were interrupted by the apparition of 
two angels, clothed in white, who said unto them. "Men of 
Galilee, why do you stand thus looking up to heaven 1 That 
same Jesus who has been taken up to heaven before your eyes, 
shall come again," that is, at the last day, " as you have seen 
him going up to heaven." 

From this admonition the apostles conceived it was not their 
own private gratification they were to consider, so much as 
the great and important ministry they were charged with, 
viz., bearing witness to Christ, or attesting the resurrection and 
divinity of Christ Jesus, all over Judea and Samaria, and even 
to the remotest parts of the earth, as Christ Jesus had 
directed them a little before his ascension into heaven. 
Wherefore they immediately departed from Mount Olivet, 
and returned to Jerusalem, where they continued in a large 
upper apartment with many other disciples of the Lord, in 
prayer and retirement, until the coming of the Holy Ghost ; 
which happened a few days after the ascension of Christ into 
heaven. 

This ascension of Christ Jesus into heaven, is, 1st — the 
triumph of human nature, and, 2nd — the solid foundation of 
the hopes of mankind. 1st — It is the triumph of human 
nature, because it was by the ascension of Christ J esus that 
human nature was put in possession of the glory of heaven, in 
the person of Christ. For although the humanity of Christ 
enjoyed a high degree of happiness by being united to the 
divinity, yet that exaltation which was due to the merits of 
Christ, as appears from these words of St. Paul, " Christ hath 
humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the 
death of the cross ; for which reason God hath exalted him" 



118 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE ASCENSIOM. 



— this exaltation, I say, was not obtained but by the ascen- 
sion of Christ into heaven. It is in heaven alone that the 
humanity of Christ was put in possession of the supreme power 
given him by his Almighty Father, both in heaven and on earth. 

Before the ascension of Christ, human nature never was 
admitted to a participation of the glory of heaven. The most 
holy and righteous men that lived, since the beginning of the 
world, were all excluded from heaven and detained in prison, 
free from pain, but deprived of the sight of God. It was at 
the ascension of Christ, after being released from their con- 
finement, that they entered the kingdom of heaven ; for St. 
Paul says, speaking of Christ Jesus, in his Epistle to the 
Hebrews, chap. 4, " Ascending on high, he led captivity cap- 
tive that is, those that were detained in confinement since 
the beginning of the world. This ascension of Christ was 
clearly foretold to the apostles. David also says in his 23rd 
Psalm, " Lift up your gates, ye princes," meaning the angels 
or princes of heaven, " and be ye lifted up, eternal gates ! 
and the King of Glory shall enter in." And again, in his 57th 
Psalm, " Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and thy glory 
upon all the earth !" The ascension of Christ is, therefore, 
most properly the triumph of human nature, because it was at 
the ascension that human nature, both in the person of Christ 
Jesus, and of the just that accompanied him in his ascension, 
was put in possession of the glory of heaven. 

Let us fancy ourselves, Christians, upon Mount Olivet, and 
contemplate in spirit the ascension of Christ Jesus, with 
the glorious troop that followed him into the kingdom of 
heaven. What sentiments must arise in our hearts from a 
consideration of this kind ! What strong and earnest desires 
should we not entertain of going along with them, and sharing 
in the glory and happiness they were then put in possession of ! 
Were all the riches and empires upon earth at our disposal, 
we certainly would bestow them to attain this great and 
happy end. To mount with Christ Jesus into heaven, and 
reign with him for ever in his heavenly kingdom, in the 
blessed society of his angels, and of his saints, would certainly 
outweigh every other consideration, and make us look down 
with contempt on the trifling and insignificant advantages of 
this miserable and perishing world. But let us remember 
that we shall never ascend to Christ Jesus into heaven, 
but by following his steps upon earth. This blessing- 
is promised to none, nor will be granted to any, but such as 
live up to his maxims, and sincerely intend to fulfil his laws 
in this life. 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE ASCENSION. 



119 



The ascension of Christ J esus into heaven is not only the 
triumph of human nature, but likewise, 2nd — the solid foun- 
dation of the hopes of mankind ; for our Saviour said to his 
disciples a little before his ascension — " It is expedient for you 
that I go : I am going to prepare a place for you, that where 
I am you also may be." Therefore, as Christ Jesus has, by 
his ascension, taken possession of his kingdom, all his disciples 
have a right, according to his promise and declaration, to 
expect a place therein. "He is our head," St. Paul observes, 
" and we are his members •" " and the members" as he 
further observes, " have an undoubted right to be united to 
their head." Besides, Christ Jesus, by ascending into heaven, 
not only has pointed the way to, and shown us the place that 
are destined for us, but is ever since employing his intercession 
as man, that we may attain to those places : for St. Paul says 
" that Christ Jesus is always living at the right hand of his 
Father to intercede for us f and St. John declares " we have 
an advocate in heaven, Christ Jesus," who is continually 
pleading our cause with his Father ; that is, appeasing his 
anger, averting the dreadful punishments due to our sins, and 
soliciting his Father's mercies in our favour. It is in the 
kingdom of heaven, whither Christ J esus ascended, that he is 
continually presenting to his Father the blood he had shed, 
and the wounds he had received, for the redemption of man- 
kind. And what impressions must an application of this 
nature have on the heart of God ! We read in the Old 
Testament that the Almighty complained aloud of the violence 
offered by Moses, who, by his prayers and intercession, forced 
and compelled him, in some measure, to lay aside the thoughts 
he had of chastising his own people with the utmost severity, 
although they were highly guilty. Now, if the intercession of 
Moses could be so effectual, so irresistible, what must that of 
Christ Jesus be, considered as man in the kingdom of heaven? 
Undoubtedly it must surpass all conception and imagination. 
Let us therefore go with confidence to the throne of grace, as 
St. Paul directs, because " we have a High Priest in heaven, 
Jesus the Son of God," who is continually offering up unto his 
Father the great sacrifice he offered upon the cross for the 
redemption of mankind. Through his intercession and merits 
we certainly shall " receive mercy in seasonable aid that is, 
such graces as may enable us to ascend 'to Christ Jesus after 
this life, and dwell for ever with him in the delights and joys 
of the life to come. Amen. 



120 



WHITSUNDAY. 



WHITSUNDAY. 

The great event to which the Church calls your attention this 
day, is, the descent or coming down of the Holy Ghost on the 
apostles, in the shape of tongues of fire ; and it claims your 
attention so much the more, because it is not only a comme- 
moration of a past event, but a real renewal of the same, in 
favour of all the faithful who are duly prepared. Let us then 
consider it as recorded in Holy Writ, both with regard to the 
astonishing effects which this Divine Spirit produced in the 
minds and hearts of the apostles, and those which the same 
Spirit will produce in us, if we oppose no obstacles to his 
designs. 

We read, then, in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter ii, that 
fifty days after the glorious resurrection of our Lord from the 
dead, ten days after his triumphant ascension into heaven, on 
the very day that the Jews celebrated the giving of the law to 
Moses on Mount Sinai, the disciples being altogether in one 
place, " there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind 
coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, 
and there appeared to them parted tongues, as it were of fire, 
and it sat upon every one of them : and they were all filled 
with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers 
tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to ( speak." 

Such was the outward manifestation — but how wonderful 
the inward effects ! This Divine Spirit, with which the apostles 
were filled, was to them, and is, proportionally, to us, a Spirit 
of Truth, a Spirit of Sanctity, and a Spirit of Strength. A 
Spirit of Truth, because, replenishing us with his divine light, 
he guides us into all truth ; a Spirit of Sanctity, because 
uniting himself to us, he removes from us every obstacle to 
sanctity; a Spirit of Strength, because he enables us to do and 
suffer eveiything that God's law requires of us. He was a 
Spirit of Truth to the apostles — in a single instant he per- 
suaded them of truths the most harsh in appearance, and the 
most disagreeable to every sense of nature ; and this, at the 
same time, without any previous disposition, nay, with every 
obstacle on their side ; for they were dull, stupid, heavy, and 
ignorant, as Christ himself reproached them for their imper- 
fections — though they had been for three years under the 
tuition of this Divine Master, yet did they not seem to be much 
more enlightened by his instructions. But the instant that 
they received this Divine Spirit, the truths that before had 
appeared so incredible, now, with the most glaring light mani- 
fest themselves. To renounce the world and themselves, is no 



WHITSUNDAY. 



121 



longer a mystery ; they see into the secret springs whence this 
doctrine flows, as well as its glorious consequences. To bear 
their cross, and carry it with patience, is no more a misfortune; 
to love their enemies, and pardon the most flagrant injuries, 
they no more reckon a weakness nor a meanness of spirit, but 
the standard of magnanimity, and the true test of greatness of 
soul. The riches and honours of this world are no more con- 
sidered a happiness, nor persecution an evil ; whereas they 
glory in being free from any tie to the world, and rejoice when 
found worthy to suffer the greatest torments and ignominy 
for the sake of J esus Christ, 

Such was the effect this Divine Spirit had on the minds of the 
Apostles ; nor was it confined to them alone, but diffused itself 
daily to the multitude of people, both men and women, who 
were firmly determined to forfeit their lives rather than 
deviate from the light they had received. The same would 
also be produced in us, did we not oppose obstacles to the 
operations of divine grace. 

Nov/, my dear brethren, let us enter impartially into our- 
selves, and examine by what spirit we are governed • is it by 
the light of the Spirit of God 1 Do we believe, by a pure and 
lively faith, that to be a Christian, it is necessary not only 
to bear our cross, but likewise to look upon it as glorious and 
honourable to bear it 1 that to follow Christ J esus you must 
not only detach your heart from the world, but even from 
yourselves % that you must not only forget the injury received, 
but still return good for evil'? Do you believe, without 
hesitation, all these moral truths the apostles not only did 
believe on the moment they received the Holy Ghost, but for 
every one of winch they were even ready to lay down their 
lives % Are you resolved, I will not say to die for them, but 
to bring your corrupt inclinations into subjection, so that you 
should not transgress them 1 Has the Spirit of God wroug'ht 
this effect in your hearts ; or do you think he has entered into 
your hearts, there to preside and govern 1 

Perhaps you will be humble enough to say that he has not 
entered into your heart ; and that you want only the light of 
that Divine Spirit to conduct you in your actions. Nothing 
i!s more common than to make this answer, and charge to the 
want of grace that sin, which, but for the abuse of grace, 
would never have been committed. But the Spirit of truth 
will always triumph over that falsehood, and convince you 
that your iniquity did not proceed from the want of light and 
divine grace, but because, when offered, you ever resisted it : 
" ye always resist the Holy Ghost." Let us co-operate with 

I 



122 



WHITSUNDAY. 



the lights we already have, and God will increase their splen- 
dour, and be not only a Spirit of truth to enlighten us, but a 
Spirit of strength and power to enable us to discharge every 
point of his divine law. 

This powerful and strengthening effect of the Spirit of God 
never was more manifest than on the solemnity of this day, 
when men, I mean the apostles, who before were weak, timid, 
or cowardly, became in an instant, by the virtue of this 
Divine Spirit, inflamed with a most fervent zeal — a zeal that 
emboldened them to declare themselves openly, to undertake 
the most hazardous enterprises, and to suffer, for the honour 
of Christ, the greatest hardships this world could inflict. 

The apostles had scarce received this Divine Spirit, when 
they began, at once, to manifest and declare themselves. And 
what was their first essay ? Ashamed of that dastardly spirit 
which had hitherto made them afraid to show themselves, and 
stand out for the honour of their Divine Master, they issue 
forth at once into all public places, and there openly publish 
and declare that the Man, lately condemned to the ignominious 
death of the cross by the unjust sentence of Pilate, was the 
true Messias, and the Lord's Anointed — that though delivered 
up to death, it was by his own free choice j and that he was 
the Sovereign Master of life and death, which he clearly 
manifested by raising himself from death to life — that 
they were ocular witnesses to this truth; that they must 
testify it, and could not resist the power of the Holy Ghost, 
who took possession of their hearts, and spake through their 
mouths 1 

This Divine Spirit gave them courage not only to speak 
their minds freely, but even to undertake and execute things 
far above the reach of all human power. For who were those 
to carry on what they had in view 1 Twelve poor fishermen, 
without talents, without credit, without reputation, who were 
looked upon as the scum of the earth, but still men who, 
possessed by the Spirit of God, had nothing less in view than 
to convert and enlighten the whole world ! And what 
resources had they to accomplish this great work 1 No other, 
my God, but the force of thy Divine Spirit ! It was he that 
enabled them to bear down all before them — the learned as 
well as the ignorant, the most polite nations as well as the 
most barbarous ; kings as well as their subjects. It was 
through him they were proof against every opposition, and, in 
spite of every opposition, of every persecution, of every torment, 
attained their object, which was the establishment of the true 
Church of Jesus Christ ! 



TRINITY SUNDAY. 



123 



Such again were the operations of the Spirit of God, not 
only in the apostles and primitive Christians, but likewise in 
every just soul ; and hence it is that we can easily discern 
whether we are animated by this Divine Spirit or not. 

For to believe that you have received this Divine Spirit, and 
not dare to declare openly for God ; to be silent when you are 
bound to speak, and shamefully turn aside when God's honour 
calls for a sacrifice; to believe that you have received the 
Spirit of God, and do nothing for the love of God ; to be heavy 
and sluggish in his service, without the least zeal for his 
interest, the least endeavour for the promotion of his honour 
and glory ; to believe that you have received the Spirit of 
God, and never to suffer the least grievance for his sake ; to 
look upon every enterprise where his honour is concerned to 
be difficult, if not impossible ; to think that such a conduct is 
compatible with the residence of the Holy Ghost, is an error 
too gross to be entertained in the mind of a Christian. 

Let us, then, strenuously labour to promote the interest of 
God, in what regards his worship, his Church, and his law. 
Let us not be discouraged by the obstacles that may stand in 
the way ; for the Spirit of God will strengthen us, and make 
us victorious. As we must meet with contradictions, so we 
should be ever prepared with patience to withstand them, and 
derive from thence, as the apostles did, both merit and com- 
fort in this life, and the reward of the one and completion of 
the other, as the apostles do, in the glory and happiness of 
life everlasting. Amen. 



TRINITY SUNDAY. 

This day, Christians, the Church commemorates and solem- 
nizes a mystery which is undoubtedly the greatest mystery of 
our holy religion. The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is 
an abridgment of all the mysteries of our faith, as all the 
mysteries of our faith relate unto one or other of the divine 
Persons — the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost. This 
mystery of the Trinity is the very characteristic of the Chris- 
tian religion; or that mystery which characterizes the Christian 
religion, and distinguishes it from all other religions upon 
earth. The Pagan acknowledges and adores many gods, or 
more than one God ; the J ew, one only God, without distinc- 
tion of Persons : but the Christian alone acknowledges and 
adores one only God in three distinct Persons, and three Persons 
in one only God. It is, therefore, the mystery of the Trinity 



124 



TRINITY SUNDAY. 



that distinguishes chiefly and principally the Christian religion 
from all others upon earth. 

It is not only the belief, but the knowledge of this mystery, 
that is peculiar to the Christians alone. The Jews themselves 
were entirely unacquainted with it ; although to them, in 
particular, the prophets had been sent from the beginning, by 
whom they were frequently instructed in many sublime points 
of religion. They had, indeed, a notion of a Redeemer, by 
whose merits they should be saved, as he was frequently 
promised and foretold by the prophets ; and the belief of a 
Messiah was then necessary towards salvation. " There is no 
other name under heaven whereby we must be saved." But 
the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity was never revealed unto 
them, except to a few. The revelation of this mystery was 
reserved for the law of grace, and communicated unto mankind 
by Christ J esus himself. For St. John, in the fifth chapter of 
his First Epistle, says, " There are three that give testimony in 
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these 
three are one." Here the trinity of persons, and the unity 
of the divine nature, are set forth in the clearest terms. 
Besides, when Christ Jesus commissioned his apostles to preach 
the Gospel all over the world, he ordered them to " go and 
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," which words visibly 
imply the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, Upon these 
concurrent passages of the ISTew Testament, the Church of 
Christ grounds the belief of the Most Holy Trinity, and pro- 
poses it as a necessary means of salvation, insomuch that we 
cannot expect salvation without knowing and believing ex- 
plicitly this mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. 

There are several points of Revelation which it is not 
necessary for all the faithful to know and believe explicitly, in 
order to be saved. No ; it is enough to believe points of 
this nature implicitly, or to believe, in general, all that God 
hath revealed unto his Church. There are other points which 
we must absolutely know and explicitly believe ; namely, this 
mystery of the Adorable Trinity, and the Incarnation of God, 
the Second Person of this Most Holy Trinity, our Lord and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ, because they are the very foundation of 
religion and of salvation. For this reason, the knowledge of 
these mysteries is conveyed by the Church, almost in every 
practice and ceremony of religion. The very first lesson we 
are taught in our infancy, informs us of one God in three persons, 
and three persons in one God. When we are baptized it is in 
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 



TRINITY SUNDAY. 



125 



In confirmation, the same words are employed. The absolution 
is given in the tribunal of penance in the very same manner. 
The very blessing used by the faithful in the beginning of every 
religious action, is conceived in the same terms. "Why so] 
Because the explicit knowledge and belief of this mystery being 
absolutely necessary for salvation, the Church of God has 
employed every method to make the knowledge thereof as 
common and universal amongst the faithful as possible. 

But how is it possible to conceive that there can be three 
persons in one only God, and one only God in three persons'? 
It is not indeed possible to conceive it; because it is a mystery 
which surpasses by many degrees the comprehension of man. 
However, as this mystery seems to carry more darkness with it 
than any other, even with respect to those that have all the 
docility of faith, and firmly believe whatever was revealed, the 
holy fathers have taken some pains to illustrate and reconcile 
it in some measure to our thoughts. For this purpose, they 
say that God the Father, knowing his divine essence and 
perfections from eternity, and having a clear and distinct idea 
thereof, must necessarily have produced an image of his 
perfections in his eternal Mind. This image is the Son, or 
the Word, as St. John styles him, because he is the expression, 
the splendour, and the bright effulgence of the Divinity. The 
Father seeing the Word, or the expression and image of his 
divine perfections, must necessarily be inflamed with mutual 
love. From this mutual love proceeds the Holy Ghost. 

The Sou then is engendered by the Father alone; but the 
Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father a*hd the Son. From this 
manner of conceiving the Trinity, it plainly follows, agreeable to 
the doctrine of the Church, that these three Persons must be 
co-eval, co- equal, and co-eternal. Co-eval from all eternity, co- 
equal iu all power and perfection, and co-eternal as existing to 
eternity, without the possibility of change or alteration. 
Without beginning, without ending, without limitation, these 
three divine Persons is one God, blessed for ever. These three 
adorable persons possessing the same divine nature and essence, 
it plainly follows they must all be concerned alike in every 
work of the Divinity, so that what the Father does, the Son 
and Holy Ghost must likewise do. Nevertheless, as these 
divine Persons stand in different relations, so different works 
may justly be attributed to each. As the Father engendered 
the Son, so the works of power and creation are attributed to 
the Father. As the Son is the image or expression of the 
Father, so the works of wisdom and design are attributed to 
the Son ; as the Holy Ghost proceeds from the mutual love of 



126 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



tlie Father and the Son, so the works of sanctification are 
attributed to the Holy Ghost, because our sanctification is 
visibly the effect of the love of God towards mankind. 

Thus much the fathers and divines have thought proper to 
say concerning the Most Holy Trinity — a mystery that should 
be adorned with the most profound faith, adoration, and love. 
It is here the exercise of faith becomes indispensably necessary 
and meritorious, in believing those revealed truths which eyes 
do not see, nor can human understanding comprehend. The 
foundation or pillar on which this faith is grounded, is God 
himself ; as he has been pleased to reveal those truths, and 
what he reveals must necessarily be true. "By faith the just 
man lives, and without faith it is impossible to please God. 
Happy are they who believe and do not see." If, therefore, 
we believe what God has revealed, we must adore his infinite 
goodness in revealing it ; and our hearts must be hard indeed, 
if, in contemplating this mystery of the Glorious Trinity and 
its dispensations towards man, they be not inflamed with love. 
To believe then the mystery of the Trinity becomes our first 
duty, and to cherish this belief, because it is the hinge of the 
Christian religion. In the second place, to adore and worship 
the Most Holy Trinity within our breast, saying with the 
Church, " Glory be the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost." And, lastly, to testify frequently our love and 
gratitude for all the blessings the Most Holy Trinity has been 
pleased to confer upon us — the Father by creating us in his 
image and likeness — the Son by redeeming us with his blood, 
and the Holy Ghost by sanctifying us with his gifts. This is 
undoubtedly the very substance and purest spirit of religion — 
vastly more excellent, more perfect and meritorious in the eyes 
of God than any other devotion you can think of. If you do 
this, you certainly will one day be admitted to see what now 
seems inconceivable, the divine Majesty of the Most Adorable 
Trinity, unveiled before your eyes in the celestial mansions of 
God. Amen. 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

What does this great entertainment signify of which mention 
is made in the Gospel of this day 1 The holy fathers say it sig- 
nifies the divine food which Christ Jesus hath prepared for the 
faithful in the Blessed Eucharist ; and the Church likewise 
understands it in this light, inasmuch as she hath chosen this 
parable for the Gospel of this day, which is sacred to the 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



127 



honour and memory of the institution of the Blessed Eucharist. 
As Christ Jesus hath given mankind in general a very signal 
proof of the most unbounded love in instituting that sacra- 
ment, in which he is to remain amongst us, to comfort, assist, 
and even feed our souls with his own sacred flesh, unto the end 
of the world — so the Church has thought proper to honour and 
commemorate so great and inestimable a blessing by a particu- 
lar festival, that festival which the Church is now celebrating 
during this whole octave or eight days. What, therefore, the 
faithful should employ themselves in during this festival, is 
honouring Christ Jesus in his holy sacrament, and testifying 
their gratitude and love for the blessings that are derived from 
thence. It is in this sacrament Christ J esus hath in reality 
prepared an entertainment truly grand — grand in itself, as 
containing no less than the body and blood of Christ — grand 
on account of the grace it imparts : when a God gives himself, 
what blessings must he not bestow ! — grand, on account of the 
prodigious numbers that are called thereto ; it is prepared for 
all the faithful in general — grand in its duration, as it is to 
last to the end of the world ! 

" When the entertainment was ready, the Master sent 
forth his servants," the Gospel says, " to call those that had 
been invited to the banquet ; " but they excused themselves 
on various occasions or pretences — some from a necessity of 
looking after their lands, others of minding their cattle, and 
others of attending their wife and family. Is not this, Chris- 
tians, visibly the case with the greater part of the faithful of 
our days % Christ Jesus is daily visiting them by the minis- 
ters of his Church, and inviting them to the heavenly banquet 
he has prepared for them in the holy Eucharist. But how 
far do they comply with his kind and generous invitations ? 
Do they willingly and readily accept thereof? Do they 
go, when called, and sit down at the table of the Lord 1 No, 
Christians, quite the reverse. How many are there, to the 
eternal shame and disgrace of Christianity, who do not par- 
take of the celestial banquet Christ Jesus hath prepared for 
them in his holy sacrament but \ once a year ; and even then 
with the greatest reluctance and want of desire, and other 
necessary dispositions, merely because they are compelled 
thereunto under pain of incurring the heaviest censures of the 
Church — under pain of excommunication. Is this, Christians, 
complying with the views and invitations of Christ J esus 1 
Undoubtedly it is not. What, then, will the consequence be 1 
We read it plainly in the Gospel of this day. When the 
Master was told by his servants, that those that had been 



128 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



invited refused to come, he said unto them with anger — ■ 
" Behold, I tell you, not one of those that had been called, 
shall ever taste of my supper f that is, shall ever share in my 
favours, nor consequently partake of the joys and glory of the 
kingdom of heaven. Sad lot, indeed, for those who unhappily 
continue deaf to the invitations of Christ Jesus ! 

O Christians ! had we a true spirit of faith, or were we 
governed by the Spirit of God, we should think it the greatest 
happiness in the world to be admitted frequently to the table 
of the Lord, and do all that lies in our power to procure our- 
selves that great and inestimable blessing ; for it cannot be 
doubted, but the participation of the Blessed Eucharist is 
attended with the most valuable favours we can either expect 
or receive ; as we then receive the author of all grace within 
us, what graces have we not a right to expect at his hands ? 
When Christ Jesus condescends to come and dwell in out- 
hearts, must not the greatest blessings come along with him 1 
" He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood," our 
Saviour says, in the sixth chapter of St. John, " hath life ever- 
lasting, and I will raise him up at the last day." From which 
words it plainly follows, that the participation of the body 
and blood of Christ in this sacrament, is a pledge or earnest of 
eternal happiness. 

Seeing therefore, Christians, that the heavenly food or ban- 
quet which Christ Jesus hath prepared for us in this sacrament 
is productive of the greatest advantages to our souls, how 
comes it to pass that the greater part of the Christians of om: 
days are so backward in going to his heavenly banquet, and 
partaking of the blessings attendant upon if? Should some 
great and mighty prince invite the meanest of his subjects to 
come and sit at his table, and at the same time give the 
strongest assurances of his love and protection, how readily 
would they all embrace the generous offer ! But here our 
Lord and Redeemer, Christ Jesus, is daily inviting the faithful 
to come and partake of the blessings he hath promised and 
prepared for them in his sacrament ; and his bountiful invita- 
tions are daily rejected and daily overlooked! What can this, 
Christians, be owing to 1 Undoubtedly to our want of faith, 
or our having no relish for the things of God ; to the love of 
the world, which prevails so strongly in the breasts of the 
greater part, as to extinguish entirely the love of God, and 
leave no taste or desire for the things of God. 

How is it possible, you will say, for people that are 
engaged, and deeply engaged in the world, to pretend to go 
frequently to the table of the Lord ? How was it possible for 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



129 



the primitive Christians so to do 1 they were as deeply engaged 
in the world as any of the Christians of our days. They had 
their business, their families, and employments ; yet they took 
care to receive the sacrament of the Lord every day of their 
lives. That day would have hung heavy on their minds in 
which they had not nourished their souls with the celestial 
food, which is distributed in the sacrament of the Lord I 
Why so ] Because they lived up to the principles of their 
faith, and were convinced that the blessings derived from the 
sacrament were of vastly greater consequence than all the 
perishable riches of this world. Were we governed by the same 
principles, we should certainly act in the same manner ; but 
as we act in a quite different manner, it is plain our principles 
must likewise be of a quite different nature. But does it not 
require an extraordinary degree of sanctity to approach fre- 
quently to the table of the Lord 1 It requires an exemption 
from all considerable sin, and that from the dignity of this 
sacrament, which contains the Author of all purity, sanctity, 
and holiness. Without this essential degree of sanctity, going 
frequently to the table of the Lord, instead of being beneficial, 
would certainly prove extremely destructive to our souls. It 
requires likewise a true and sincere resolution of improving in 
virtue, and attaining to that degree of Christian perfection, 
which is consistent with our respective stations in the world. 
For it is not enough not to profane or abuse the sacrament of 
the Lord, we must likewise honour and respect it. Now this 
honour and respect chiefly consist in retrenching not only every 
considerable sin, but likewise in retrenching, or at least en- 
deavouring to retrench every smaller transgression, as even 
this must necessarily be disagreeable unto Christ Jesus. It is 
not therefore necessary, Christians, that we be perfect, in order 
to approach to the table of the Lord. No : If this were the 
case, we should never partake of that divine food ; for we 
never are, nor never will be perfect ; and never to partake of 
that divine food is evidently contrary to the intentions of 
Christ J esus, and the commands of the Church, as well as the 
practice of the saints in every age, who all made it a constant 
rule to partake frequently of that divine bread, " which," St. 
John says, " came down from heaven." All that is necessary 
is, that we aim at, and labour for, a certain degree of perfec- 
tion ; for we read in the Gospel this day, that " the poor and 
the feeble, the blind and the lame, were invited to the enter- 
tainment," which words the holy fathers expound of those 
that are yet weak and feeble in the ways of God. In the be- 
ginning, Christians, you may be weak, infirm, and imperfect ; 



130 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



but the frequent use of the sacrament of the Lord will soon 
strengthen you to such a pitch, as to make you conquer your 
passions, triumph with ease over all the obstacles of salvation, 
and fulfil all your obligations, in which true virtue and perfec- 
tion consist. 

What, then, should we resolve upon, Christians 1 To go 
frequently to the table of the Lord with all the care and pre- 
paration we are capable of. Remember that the last con- 
solation the Church administers unto the faithful, at their 
dying hour, is the participation of his heavenly banquet. 
With what fear, apprehension, diffidence, and terror, or rather 
with what secret desperation, will those receive the body and 
blood of Christ at that dreadful period, who seldom or never 
received it during the course of their lives ! But on the con- 
trary, with what joy, confidence, and assurance will all those 
receive it, who during their lives had frequently approached 
it ! Then they certainly will perceive within themselves, that 
from this banquet they are to be called unto the enjoyment 
of another, of which the former was only an image — the joys 
and glory of the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Nothing, Christians, can give us a clearer or better notion of 
the infinite goodness and boundless mercy of Christ Jesus, 
than what we have set forth in the Gospel of this day. As 
his intention in coming down from heaven, and assuming 
human nature, was to redeem the world from sin, he took 
every opportunity of conversing with sinners, even the greatest 
sinners, such as publicans and tax-gatherers, in order to reclaim 
them from their sinful ways, and bring them over to the ways 
of eternal happiness, true justice and righteousness. This con- 
descension of Christ Jesus, which was worthy the bounty and 
goodness of a God, could not escape the censure of the proud, 
austere, hypocritical Pharisees, who, knowing that Christ J esus 
was looked upon as a man full of the Spirit of God, and as a 
great prophet, were highly offended at his conversing and 
mixing publicly with sinners ; without reflecting that it is the 
greatest sinners who stand most in need of the mercies of 
God, according to the words of Christ in the Gospel. "It 
is not those that are sound and hale, that require the care and 
skill of a physician, but the feeble, the disordered, and the sick." 
And elsewhere he tells us, " he was particularly sent unto the 
sheep that had gone astray out of the house of Israel." 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



131 



Hence we may learn the injustice and iniquity of the judg- 
ments of men. The most virtuous actions are commonly tra T 
duced by them, and represented in the most injurious light 
The effects of the purest charity and zeal, generally pass in 
their eyes for the effects of interest or passion. Whatsoever 
mostly draws the attention and applause of heaven, is no more 
to them than an object of censure and reproach. Nothing 
could be more zealous, more charitable, more merciful than 
Christ Jesus conversing with sinners, in order to convert 
them ; yet this proved the very occasion of Pharisaic repre- 
hension. Are there not many amongst us of this Pharisaic 
turn of mind, who are all indulgence to themselves, and all 
severity to others 1 The moment they see even the appearance 
of a fault in their neighbour, their false and fiery zeal is in- 
flamed to the highest pitch, so as to break out frequently into 
bitter invective, malignant insinuation, obloquy, and censure. 
They readily discern the least mote in their neighbour's eye, 
but cannot discern the beam, so very remarkable in their own. 
Let these hypocrites, as Christ Jesus directs, first remove the 
beam out of their own eye, before they undertake to withdraw 
the mote from that of their neighbour. How, then, is a man 
to act upon occasions of this kind % Guardedly, respecting 
the judgment he passes upon the actions of other men. As 
often as an action can admit of a good construction, it is 
justice and charity to understand it in that light : and to do 
otherwise argues manifestly prejudice, injustice, or the want 
of charity. As for the censure of others, we should be always 
ready to despise it ; provided we do nothing contrary to the 
law of God, worthy the censure of rational and virtuous men. 
" What is it to me," St. Paul says, " what you, or any body 
else may think me 1 It is not by you I am to be judged, but 
by the living God." 

The vain opinion of the world is, nevertheless, Christians, the 
general pursuit of the greater part of mankind. Their object is 
not what pleases God, but man. The anger of God they do not 
fear, but the displeasure of man they dread. To please man- 
kind, they make no difficulty to offend the Almighty Ruler of 
men : to procure or preserve the friendship of the world, they 
will not hesitate to forfeit the favour and esteem of heaven. But 
what says Christ Jesus 1 "Do not fear those that kill the body, 
but cannot touch the soul ; but fear him who can destroy both 
body and soul." People must go, they say, according to the 
world ■ and one is certainly despised or censured that does not 
act like the rest of mankind. But is it the laws of the world we 
are to be judged by, or the laws of Christ ? What will the 



132 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



approbation of man avail at the tribunal of God 1 When the 
Almighty God will reproach you for having violated and trans- 
gressed his holy laws, of what service will it be to you to say, 
that you only acted according to the laws and maxims of the 
world 1 Will not the Almighty God then ask you, if it were 
the laws of the world you were to obey, or his divine com- 
mands? If, therefore, to comply with the world, and again the 
esteem and good will of the world, you refuse to comply with 
the laws of God, the Almighty God will certainly say unto you, 
at the last day, as Christ Jesus hath said in the Gospel, " He 
that is ashamed to confess me before man, him will I be ashame 1 
to confess before my Father who is in heaven." 

If any of you, our Saviour says, had a hundred sheep, and 
lost one of them, would he not immediately quit the ninety- 
nine, and go in quest of that which had gone astray 1 And, 
after finding it, would he not put it upon his shoulders, and 
carry it home with joy 1 Even then would he not call his friends 
together, and say unto them, "Rejoice with me, for I have 
found my sheep that was lost ; I say unto you, that so there 
shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that doth penance, more 
than over ninety-nine just, who stand not in need of penance." 
Fr i □ these words would not one imagine the Almighty God 
ha I some particular interest in converting a sinner, and bringing 
him into the ways of eternal happiness 1 Nevertheless, he can 
have no other interest in it than of making his creatures 
eternally happy. For he is att-sufficient in himself, and 
enjoyed in himself, even before the world was created, the 
completest happiness. If, therefore, he takes any pains for u.<* 
mortals, it is with no other view than to rescue us from 
eternal misery, and put us in possession of the kingdom of 
heaven. 

Consider then, Christians, how much we are all indebted to 
the infinite goodness of God, for the pains he has taken to 
make us eternally happy. We all have been like so many 
sheep that had gone astray. We are all astray, perhaps, as 
yet. To save us from perdition, the Almighty God has sent 
his only Son down upon earth, to take human nature upon 
him, and by his death to deliver us from sin, and the eternal 
punishments that are justly due to sin. Every day, perhaps 
every moment of our lives, he is inciting us by the voice of 
his ministers, or by the inward solicitations of his holy grace, 
to forsake our errors and sinful ways, and return to the 
obedience we owe unto his holy law. But how far has he 
succeeded in this generous design 1 Has he yet been able to 
bring us back from our sinful ways % Do we not daily resist 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



133 



his tender invitations to repentance] The Almighty God is 
continually seeking for us, and we are continually flying front 
his tender pursuits. Recollect, I beseech you, what the roval 
prophet says, " If to-day you shall hear the voice of the Lord, 
harden not your hearts." For the consequence of resisting 
continually the voice and calls of heaven, must be, that the 
Almighty will no longer seek for, but abandon us to our own 
corruption ; and in the end, give us up a prey to the devouring 
flames of hell. " You shall seek me, and shall not find me," 
saith the Lord in the day of his anger. The way to prevent 
this misfortune is, to return speedily and sincerely unto the 
Lord. If we do, we shall certainly cause an excessive joy in 
heaven, and likewise become one day partakers of eternal 
happiness. Amen. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

One of the greatest dangers even the just are exposed to in 
this life is a certain indolence, which banishes apprehension, 
and fills the minds with the false hopes of certain security. 
Then we are apt to let go the anchor of faith, slacken in our 
devotions, become less wary in our deportment, and insensibly 
lay aside the only safeguard of virtue — the practice of piety 
and good works. This deceitful indolence being therefore the 
forerunner of our eternal ruin, it is of the last importance to 
root it up by Christian vigilance — that vigilance prescribed by 
Christ Jesus, " Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temp- 
tation;" that vigilance urged by St. Paul, " Let him who thinks 
he standeth, beware lest he 'fall ;" that vigilance, without 
which, from the infirmities of our nature, it will be impossible 
ever to attain life everlasting. 

Surrounded, as we are, by powerful enemies, both internal 
and external, who daily attack and interrupt our progress to 
the kingdom of God, which we are justly entitled to by the 
merits of Christ, we are bound to take example by that wise 
prince mentioned by our Saviour in the Gospel, whose kingdom 
being threatened by a formidable enemy, musters up his forces, 
and puts himself in a posture of defence, to save his country 
from impending ruin. We should be more alarmed than that 
prince. His territories were only threatened; our souls are 
daily attacked, not only by the evils we inherit from nature, 
but by our mortal enemy the prince of darkness, who not only 
endeavours to rob us of the kingdom of heaven, but even to 
subject us to all the punishments an angry God can inflict. 



134 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



Of all the evils we inherit from nature, our weakness is the 
greatest. This is so great, that if we sleep over the dangers 
that surround us, like the indolent and careless virgins — if we 
prove remiss or negligent of those dangers, we certainly will 
fall j fall frequently, and at length run headlong to eternal ruin I 
This lamentable weakness has shown itself in many who 
attained to eminence in sanctity and perfection. It has 
eclipsed the brightest stars of virtue, and tumbled the strongest 
pillars of religion. Holy David, by one weak glance, became 
a cruel murderer and an adulterer ; Solomon, with an under- 
standing more enlightened than any among the children of 
Adam, had the weakness to offer incense to an idol; and Peter, 
the prince of the apostles, to deny Christ ! Do not those, as 
well as Tertullian and Origen, and many others, whose splendid 
rise and unhappy fall are equally remarkable in the annals of 
time, afford a melancholy proof of the weakness of our nature, 
and should, at the same time, rouse up our utmost vigilance % 
But do we not feel this weakness in ourselves 1 How often 
have we promised fidelity to our God"? How often forgot those 
promises 1 A moment's pleasure, a sordid interest, a vain 
complaisance, or a mere nothing, is sufficient to make us forget 
our duty to God, and all the precious interests of our immortal 
souls. Besides, we are all born with a strong tendency to vice, 
since the early transgression of our first parents ; which, 
although it cannot influence the will so far as to bring it 
under an absolute necessity of acting amiss, is nevertheless a 
prodigious inducement to sin, and the most effectual cause of 
our daily transgressions. This miserable condition of our 
nature, made St. Paul groan in spirit, " I feel within me a law 
always acting in opposition to my reason, the law of sin •" a 
constant inclination to evil, which in spite of all the lights of 
reason, and the assistance of religion, is hurrying me on 
perpetually to sin. This tyranny of concupiscence no man is 
free from. Mortification and a constant warfare with our 
passions, may indeed subdue, but not root it up. The saints 
themselves felt and bemoaned it. But what must be in those, 
who, far from checking, indulge and foment it by frequent 
crimes ! Crimes, that by their magnitude and rejDetition 
reduce us to the moral necessity of violating all the laws of 
God. Our vigilance, I say, becomes the more necessary, because 
our enemies are constantly, not at our doors, but in our very 
hearts, mixed and interwoven with our nature; and still 
we loll on as if we had nothing to apprehend. In the fond 
hopes of security, we walk every moment in the shades of death. 
In greater danger than the man condemned to live in an old 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



135 



tottering ruin, or to a shattered vessel during a violent tempest ; 
because life is not the loss to be deplored, but the immortal 
soul that must live for ever either in heaven or in hell. There 
we are invited by the kindness of a merciful God — here we are 
likely to go by the indulgence of our unhappy nature ; there 
Almighty God stretches out his hand to aid and assist us by 
his divine grace — but here we are seduced not only by the 
internal enemies we carry about us, but also by our external 
enemies, powerful and numerous. 

Had we no other difficulty to contend with but our weakness, 
no other enemies to contend with in our progress towards 
heaven than our internal ones, this were a comfort ; because 
time and pains may subdue both. But St. Paul tells you, "it 
is not against flesh and blood we are to wrestle, but against 
principalities and powers ; against the rulers of the darkness of 
this world ; against the evil spirits who dwell in the air." 
These are they, whose force is equal to their malice, and their 
cunning superior to both ; whom St. Peter represents as so 
many roaring lions, incessantly ranging the wide world, seek- 
ing whom they may devour. These are they, who laid violent 
hands on that miracle of patience, holy Job, that stripped him 
at once of his kingdom, of his wealth, of his family, of his pos- 
sessions, of his friends, and made him stink on a dunghill with 
corruption and filth. The grace of God in him was superior 
to all their malice — so let it be in you. The same enemies 
you have to encounter, the same conflicts to sustain 1 but more 
dangerous, because more secret. Full of envy to see us 
labouring for, and aspiring to the thrones destined for them- 
selves, they employ their fury and rage to defeat our designs. 
At one time they attack us with open force, by setting our 
passions all on fire. Another time they disguise their attacks 
under artful insinuations, that the transgression is of no con- 
sequence, only one of those frailties to which the just are daily 
subject; because they know that one transgression leads to a 
second, a second to a third, and so on, until they fasten you 
in iniquity. Sometimes these spirits of darkness will trans- 
form themselves into angels of light, by inspiring sublime 
thoughts of uncommon and extraordinary devotion, in order 
to seduce you into shameful illusions. This is our situation, 
and these our enemies, so long as we live in the flesh, which 
made holy Job call "the life of man a continual warfare." 
A war the more doubtful, as being carried on against potent 
invisible enemies; the more laborious, as every victory we gain 
is a conquest made by, and against ourselves ; a war where- 
in we may conquer to-day, and be conquered to-morrow. 



136 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



Notwithstanding those dangers, we find, to the great shame of 
Christianity, very many who, by ignorant or designing teachers, 
are lulled asleep and worked up into a false confidence, by far 
more fatal than the most violent hurricanes, that they will 
attain the haven of eternal happiness where storms never 
blow, and where the cries of misery are never heard ; but St. 
Paul, although filled with the Spirit of God, dares not say so, 
" although I am not conscious of any fault, yet in this I am not 
justified." And he charges all Christians, " to work out their 
salvation with fear and trembling." And they are the orders 
of Christ Jesus, " watch ; " for behold the angels — they were 
driven headlong bound in fiery chains into the flaming gulph. 
We indeed should entertain through the merits of Christ a 
confident hope of eternal life — but a hope grounded on holy 
fear, a fear accompanied by vigilance. 

The obligation of vigilance is of a two-fold nature ; first — 
to resist and conquer the dangers that are inseparable from our 
respective states; and secondly — to guard against those dangers 
that are not connected with our duty. Christ warns you 
not to expose yourself to any danger, but what arises from 
your duty ; "he that loveth danger, shall perish therein." 
Now, it is loving the danger to seek it, or allow yourselves to 
be drawn into it, without necessity or reason, merely to gratify 
a vain curiosity, indulge a friend, or chime with the reproved 
ways of the world. "What follows 1 ? Perdition by their rash- 
ness — the loss of God's grace here, and of their souls hereafter. 
For without God's grace, you cannot escape the dangers that 
everywhere surround you; "without me you can do nothing;" 
and this grace he has not promised to presumptuous rashness. 
He grants it only for his own glory, or the good of our souls. 
When men rush headlong into danger, without any defence 
but their own weakness, dismal, indeed, are the affects that 
follow ! You see those effects daily. Here is the young liber- 
tine formed suddenly by an unhappy intercourse with those 
who never speak but to revile God, his holy religion, his 
ministers, or make virtue a laughing stock. There the fallen 
female, who, by novel reading, stores her mind with fantastic 
ideas, and sets morality adrift. Here, again, is that drunkard, 
ruined and forlorn, abandoned by the very wretches who made 
him so, because he neglected that vigilance to avoid their 
company — to avoid that house where he always surely met 
those apostles of vice. Take warning by those examples. 
Look before you, look behind you : be discreet ; foresee 
danger, and avoid it. Almighty God will not preserve the rash 
man, or the sinner, from burning amidst flames. It is not in 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1ST 

your power to avoid all dangers ; because some necessarily 
spring from the frame and constitution of our nature, the evil 
example of those we live with, the very show and figure of the 
world daily solicit us to sin. Almighty God permits this, not 
to bring about or to be instrumental to our ruin, " for he tempts 
no man," but as St. Chrysostom observes, to try our faith, to 
exercise our virtue, and increase our merit. Seeing, therefore, 
that we must encounter danger, how are we to act 1 To sub- 
mit through fear ? No : to yield when attacked ? ISTo : but 
to encounter, to resist, to surmount. How ? By the grace of 
God ; for " Almighty God will not only not suffer you to be 
tempted beyond your strength, but will with the temptation 
produce in you an increase of strength, that you may be able 
to bear it." St. Paul says so; and he further says, that Christ 
our blessed Lord was tempted in the desert, " for in that he 
himself hath suffered and was tempted, he is able to succour 
those who are tempted." This should inspire us with the most 
undaunted courage to reflect that we fight under the banners 
of Christ Jesus. He is our general, our leader, our king. He 
leads, he combats for and with us, he supports us in the en- 
gagement, and, if we prove faithful, he will infallibly crown us 
with success. Notwithstanding this powerful succour, it is a 
melancholy but true reflection, that by far the greater part of 
mankind, even among Christians, make no resistance to 
temptation. They yield because they are tempted. Why not 
resist? Why not struggle and summon up your forces? Why 
not banish the dangerous idea, or the more dangerous image 
from your minds soon as perceived ? Why did you not quit 
the place, the company, where your mortal enemy, temptation, 
lay lurking? Why not call on your Saviour, like David, 
" Hasten unto my aid, O Lord ! fly unto my succour ?" There 
are some temptations, it must be owned, too strong and violent 
to be overcome, but by a special grace from heaven. Divines 
say this grace is never wanting. It is always either given or 
offered. Hence Christ Jesus desires you not only to " watch," 
but also to " pray." Watch to prevent the danger ; pray when 
it is impending. But if you take none of those precautions, if 
you neither struggle with the danger, nor avoid the occasion, 
nor apply to God, is it surprising you should fall as often as 
you do? Your weakness is great, but the power of Christ 
Jesus is greater. Have recourse to this power. Fear not the 
attacks of the evil spirit. Since the sufferings and passion of 
Christ he is bound up in chains, St. Austin says, lest he should 
give too great a scope to his malice. He can indeed tempt, 
but he cannot overcome. Like a furious dog, he can bark and 

K 

9 



138 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



rage — keep at a distance and you are safe. He cannot hurt 
you. " Be vigilant," St. Peter desires you. If you are not, 
you will fall, from the corruption of your own hearts, which 
wilfully seeks the occasion of your ruin and dwells criminally 
therein. Hell is wide open before you every moment of your 
lives. One negligent step may ingulph you in all its horrors. 
Be vigilant. But as you must stand exposed to certain dan- 
gers, from the weakness of your nature, from the number and 
power of your enemies, from the troubles and difficulties of the 
world, put on the armour of faith, as St. Paul recommends ; 
that is to say, you must bear up against them with constancy, 
with resolution, and with courage, so as never to suffer your- 
selves to be driven from the paths of virtue, or to violate the 
laws of your God. In this great conflict Almighty God will 
aid you here by his grace, and crown you in heaven by his 
holy love, for ever and ever. Amen. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

As the Scribes and Pharisees observed a great deal of severity 
in their outward conduct, and a very strict adherence to the 
ceremonies of the law, the people in general entertained a very 
high opinion of their virtue, and looked upon them as men of 
great sanctity and godliness. But Christ Jesus, who knew the 
hearts of men, took particular pains upon every occasion in 
unmasking the hypocrisy of those Scribes and Pharisees, and 
letting the world know what they really were — the vile 
counterfeits of true, sincere, and unaffected piety. As they 
courted the external and vain applause of mankind in all 
their actions, they only studied to appear virtuous, and not to 
be so in fact ; so that they always fell short of that true 
justice, which has its principle in the heart, and manifests 
itself by a faithful observance of the law : which true and un- 
feigned justice is absolutely necessary for the kingdom of 
heaven. 

For this reason our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, said 
unto the Jews, " Unless your justice surpass that of the Scribes 
and Pharisees, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven." 
As nothing but true justice, or the execution of the laws of 
God, can lead to eternal happiness, it is plain there was 
something wanting for that purpose more than the justice of 
the Pharisees, which consisted barely in externals and deceitful 
appearances. How many are there in the world whose virtue 
doth not surpass that of the Pharisees ! How many content 

I 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



131) 



themselves with the bark of religion, without ever inquiring 
into the substance or spirit of the law ! To be deemed honest 
and irreprehensible in the world is all they aim at ; and they 
even think this a solid foundation for eternal happiness : but 
is it possible for them to appear more honest and irreproach- 
able than the Pharisees 1 Yet our Saviour declares the virtue 
of the Pharisees Avas not a sufficient title for the kingdom of 
heaven. Whoever then aspires to the kingdom of God, must 
not be satisfied with a bare show of religion. He must look 
into, and imbibe the spirit of true justice ; that is, he must 
resolve within himself to fulfil, not any one particular point 
of the law, but all the essential obligations of religion ; not 
only in public, but also in private ; not only in the eyes of 
men, but likewise in the sight of God : not with a view of 
gaining the esteem of men, but of pleasing the Almighty God, 
and thereby meet his eternal reward. This is the true justice 
that God requires at our hands, which is absolutely necessary 
for the kingdom of heaven. 

" You have heard," our Saviour says, " that it was signified 
to them of old, thou shalt not kill ; and he that killeth shall 
be guilty of the judgment. But I say unto you, that every 
one who is angry with his brother shall be guilty of the judg- 
ment." By these words Christ Jesus plainly shows the differ- 
ence between the Mosaic law and the Christian dispensation, 
and the great perfection of the one beyond the other. In the 
Old Law it was only forbidden to kill ; but in the New Law, not 
only the outward action, but likewise the inward desire, or 
that anger from which the desire of killing proceeds, is like- 
wise prohibited or forbidden ; which argues manifestly a higher 
degree of virtue and perfection. As there are various kinds 
or degrees of anger, so there are various degrees of sin or guilt 
attendant thereon. When the anger is only slender or insigni- 
ficant, then the sin is likewise so. But when the anger is so 
great as to hurry a man beyond his reason, and prompt him 
to wish, or do unto his neighbour any considerable harm, then 
the sin is likewise great and considerable. This distinction of 
the different degrees of guilt attendant upon anger, is mani- 
festly grounded on the different expressions of judgment, 
council, and hell fire, which Christ Jesus makes use of in the 
Gospel of this day. The judgment was a lower court or 
tribunal amongst the Jews, which took cognizance of slender 
faults or insignificant transgressions. Our Saviour, therefore, 
says, " If any one be angry with his brother, he shall be guilty 
of the judgment f that is, he shall be guilty of a slight fault 
— a fault of the same kind with the slender transgressions 



140 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



which were tried and punished by the court or tribunal of 
judgment. The council was a high court of judicature 
amongst the Jews, composed of seventy-two persons, and re- 
siding at Jerusalem, which took cognizance of all matters of con- 
sequence. Therefore, our Saviour says, " If any one says Raea 
unto his brother," which word Baca was an injurious and 
contemptuous expression amongst the Jews, "he shall be 
guilty of the council;" that is, a fault of consequence, and 
of the same kind with those that were tried and punished by 
the council or high court at Jerusalem. " But if any one 
shall say unto his brother, Thou fool ;" that is, from a spirit 
of great contempt, hatred, or revenge, "he shall be guilty," 
our Saviour says, " of hell fire, or the Gehenna of fire." This 
Gehenna was a valley near Jerusalem, sacred to the worship of 
the idol Moloch, where the blind votaries of this pretended 
divinity used to burn the children they had sacrificed unto 
the idol. As a perpetual fire was kept and entertained for 
this purpose, in the valley of Gehenna, our Saviour frequently 
makes use of that name to signify the eternal and devouring 
flames of hell. It was necessary to explain this point, in order 
to make you understand these words "the Gehenna of fire." 
which frequently occur in the Gospel. But what we should 
take greater notice of is, the dreadful consequences that flow 
from any great or considerable anger; as Christ Jesus de- 
clares it is to be punished with no less than hell-fire. Yet 
how many are there who make no account of this sin ! How 
many are there who give loose to their anger, even upon slight 
occasions ; so as to make no difficulty in their passion, to load 
their neighbour with injurious invectives, reproaches the most 
false, or aspersions the most dishonourable ! How many are 
there in their anger who thirst after their brother's blood, and 
even attempt his life ! "What can persons of this character 
expect at the tribunal of God's justice % " They shall be guilty 
of the Gehenna of fire," our Saviour says ; that is they shall 
be condemned for ever to the devouring flames of hell ! I 
could not help it, one will say, I was in a passion. But your 
passion, Christians, is no excuse in the sight of God ; nay, it 
is your very passion that makes you guilty in his eyes. You 
were in a passion — but you should not have been in a passion. 
The moment you felt your anger arising, you should have 
checked it, and stifled it within your breast. You should then 
have quitted the company or the occasion that inflamed your 
passion, and made it rise to the most extravagant, unbecoming, 
and uncharitable lengths. Our passions are never ungovern- 
able — they may, indeed, be strong and high, but then the 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



141 



Almighty gives us grace in proportion to subdue them, and 
keep them within the bounds of reason and religion. If 
then, with the assistance of divine grace, we endeavour to curb 
and repress our anger, we certainly shall overcome it, though 
the provocation be ever so great. But, instead of curbing 
and repressing their anger, people generally indulge it, and 
even take a secret pleasure in exerting it in its highest fury 
and rage. 

Has not this been, Christians, the case with each of our- 
selves in particular 1 If so, let us humble ourselves in the 
presence of the Almighty God, and with compunction beg 
forgiveness for all the sins we have committed on this head. 
Let us likewise firmly resolve within ourselves to be more 
guarded against our passions for the time to come. "Anger," 
St. James says, " worketh not the justice of God;" and our 
Saviour says, " Blessed are the meek." By the meek, we are 
not to understand those that are born with mildness. No : 
that mildness which is born with many, is a constitutional, 
not a Christian virtue. By the meek, then, we are to under- 
stand those that, from a principle of virtue, moderate their 
passions, and thereby live in peace with God and man. 
" Blessed," then, " are the meek," our Saviour says, "for they 
shall inherit the land," or land of the living, in the good will 
and affection of all those they live and converse with in this 
world, and likewise the land of promise — these charming 
mansions, these delightful pastures of the living God, which is 
the inheritance the Almighty has promised us in the kingdom 
of heaven. Amen. 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

From what we read in the Gospel of this day, we may easily 
learn, as well as from daily experience, that the infinite bounty 
of God doth not confine itself to relieving us in our spiritual 
wants and necessities ; but likewise extends to the care and 
preservation of our lives and bodies. Our Lord and Saviour, 
Jesus Christ, was not content to instruct the multitude that 
followed him into the desert, and inform them of the ways of 
salvation : but was also graciously pleased to feed them 
miraculously in their distress, and when they were perishing 
for want. Being three days fasting, and at a great distance 
from any place where they might procure relief, it necessarily 
followed they must have been weakened, in a very high degree : 
insomuch that it was to be feared, as Christ observes, they 



142 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PEKTECOST. 



would perish in the way, were they suffered to depart without 
food. At this critical period, the ever-wakeful vigilance of 
Christ our Lord took compassion on them, the Gospel says ; 
and by a miracle of extraordinary bounty and goodness, 
namely, multiplying a few loaves and a few fishes, to such a 
degree as was sufficient to feed the multitude with plenty, and 
likewise to leave a great quantity remaining ! 

With what joy, Christians, must that multitude have re- 
ceived so seasonable, so necessary, but so unexpected a relief % 
"With what gratitude must they have acknowledged a favour 
which preserved them visibly from death ! How often must 
they have blessed the divine hand that was pleased to exert 
and display the infinite power of a God, for their assistance 
and support ! Then they certainly experienced the full force of 
these remarkable words of Christ Jesus, " Seek first the king- 
dom of God, and all these things shall be given unto you." 
Having laid aside all care of the world for several days, in 
order to follow Christ J esus, and partake of the heavenly food 
of his divine instructions, it is plain they sought the kingdom 
of heaven before all things — before comforts, conveniences, 
or necessities of life — before their pleasures, avocations, or 
even the pressing wants of human nature. Before all, their 
God and his word was their pursuit — wherefore Christ Jesus, 
on his part, was not wanting to reward their generous and 
holy positions, by relieving and feeding them miraculously in 
the desert. 

This act of Divine Providence is really wonderful in the 
highest degree. But how many acts of equal bounty and 
goodness are we not daily witnesses to, without taking the 
least notice of them ! Is it not, in fact, a greater expression of 
the infinite goodness of God, to feed all mankind for a con 
tinned succession of ages, than to relieve a certain number of 
men, in their distress, for a few hours 1 And is not this what 
the Almighty has done from the beginning of the world ] Is 
not this what he daily does, and will certainly do to the end of 
time % But because those lively expressions of the bounty of 
God are grown so common, they are not noticed, much less 
gratefully acknowledged by the greater part of mankind. We 
receive the continued favours of God, which fall thick around 
us, like drops in a shower, without ever reflecting on the hand 
that bestowed them ; and enjoy the gifts, without so much as 
thinking on the great and holy One from whom they 
proceed. 

I beg leave to ask, is this insensibility conformable to the 
spirit of religion 1 Does it even correspond with the worldly 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



143 



maxims of gratitude and reason 1 ? A great share of the spirit 
of religion consists in thanksgiving to God for his gifts — those 
of nature, as well as those of grace. This principle of thanks- 
giving, or gratitude, is clearly exemplified in the nine lepers, 
whom our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had restored to 
their health, as is related in the Gospel; and after that, one of 
them went about, giving glory to God and publishing aloud 
the favour he had received : Soon after our Saviour met him, 
and asked, "if ten had not been cured; what then became of the 
other nine? or was there no more than one single person 
found, and even he a Samaritan, to give glory unto God, and 
acknowledging so signal a favour ?" Do not these words visibly 
imply a severe reproach to the men that had received the 
favours of heaven, and took no pains to acknowledge them? 

But how justly, Christians, could the like reproach be made 
unto ourselves ? Do we not daily receive the most valuable 
blessings of heaven, even in the gifts of nature, our daily food 
and support, without ever testifying our gratitude to God, for 
these continual and uninterrupted marks of his bounty and 
goodness ? At least for the time to come, let us make it a 
point of religion, in our morning and evening prayer, to 
recollect the gifts of God — those of grace and nature, and 
offer up our thanks for them through Christ our Lord. 

The misfortune with the greater part of Christians, doth 
not barely consist in overlooking the daily gifts of God, but 
likewise in abusing them by intemperance and excess. But 
what must men of this character expect at the tribunal of 
God ? "Woe be unto you," our Saviour says, " who are filled, 
because you shall be hungry •" that is, because you shall be 
for ever deprived of the joys and glory of the kingdom of 
heaven. And again St. Paul declares in the fifth chapter of his 
Epistle to the Galatians, that "all those who pursue drunken- 
ness, feastings and revellings, shall never obtain the kingdom 
of God." As the Almighty God is essentially guided by in- 
finite wisdom in all his actions, it is plain he cannot intend 
the gifts of nature, but in a wise and rational light ; for the 
support of life, and not for the gratification of the sensual 
appetites; for a rational and moderate pleasure, not for 
criminal and intemperate enjoyment. But is it thus the gifts 
of nature, which Providence bestows upon us, are employed ? 
Are they never made use of, but to answer the purposes of 
reason, and in a manner conformable to the intentions of 
Divine Providence? Alas! Christians, how many are there 
who seek no other happiness than that of eating and drinking, 
and eating and drinking to excess ! How many, that would 



144 . SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

readily give up and forfeit all pretensions to eternal happiness, 
could they but enjoy sensual pleasures without end ! How 
many, in fine, " who make a god of their belly," as St. Paul 
says, and by the excesses they run into sink themselves below 
the very level of the beasts of the field ! For even the beasts 
of the field, from an inward instinct, are content with what is 
sufficient for the support of nature, whereas thousands of men, 
endowed with reason, and informed by the principles of 
Christianity, are daily seen to debase their bodies and minds 
by the most shameful and excessive intemperance. 

Intemperance of any kind, either in eating or drinking, is a 
breach of the law ; first, of the law of nature, or that inward 
iaw, which the light of reason alone points out to the mind ; 
and second, of the positive law of Christ. The breach of either 
law, by any considerable intemperance, makes us guilty of a 
mortal sin. It is pretty rare, indeed, that people commit any 
considerable excess in point of eating, although instances of 
the kind are not wanting ; but in point of drinking it is too 
common. However, they are both equally forbidden by the law ; 
for Christ J esus says, in the twenty-first chapter of St. Luke, 
" Look well to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be over- 
charged with surfeiting and drunkenness ; and that the day 
of the Lord on a sudden surprise you." Be pleased to observe, 
our Saviour does not say, lest your hearts be overcharged with 
drunkenness alone, but with surfeiting and drunkenness ; which 
words plainly imply an excess of either kind. ISTow, Christians, 
the law of temperance and sobriety, obliges us in every situa- 
tion and circumstance of life. Nor is it ever lawful to trans- 
gress it for any consideration whatsoever ; either out of friend- 
ship, complaisance, a view to interest, the laws of hospitality, 
or the mistaken honour of the world. And yet how many are 
there who think themselves excusable for running into excess 
merely because they entertain their friends ; or because they 
may be censured by the world for doing otherwise ! But let 
them consider, it is not by the laws of the world they are to 
be judged, but by the laws of Christ. If, therefore, we trans- 
gress the laws of Christ in complaisance to the world, we 
certainly will be condemned at the tribunal of Christ, let the 
world think or say what they will. 

What, then, have we to do, Christians '? To partake of the 
gifts of God, as the multitude did in the desert, with sobriety 
and thanksgiving. With sobriety, by avoiding every excess ; 
and with thanksgiving, by sanctifying our very food. For 
even these natural actions are susceptible, in the principles of 
religion, of a certain degree of sanctity and godliness. 



SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



145 



" Food," St. Paul says, (1st Tim. chap. 4), "is sanctioned by the 
word of God and prayer : " and again in the tenth chapter of 
his 1st epistle to the Corinthians — "Whether you eat or drink, 
or do anything else, do all things for the glory of God." It is, 
therefore, Christians, in our power to make even the actions of 
eating and drinking meritorious in the sight of God : 1st — by 
avoiding every excess from a principle of religion : 2nd — by 
offering up those actions to God, in union with the merits of 
Christ ; 3rd — -by performing them, not to gratify our palates, 
or any sensual inclination, but to preserve life, and thereby 
enable us to serve and glorify the Lord for a longer space of 
time upon earth. By practising upon every occasion of this 
kind, some act of self-denial ; such as refusing ourselves some- 
thing very pleasing to the taste, in compliance with these words 
of Christ, " If any one will come after me, let him deny him- 
self." " Blessed are those that hunger," our Saviour says ; 
that is, those that deprive themselves of every unlawful 
pleasure ; who live with sobriety and self-denial ; " for they 
shall be filled," by the inward consolations of the Spirit of 
God in this life, and in the next, by the pure and eternal joys 
of the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

It was not enough for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to 
inform us of the ways of heaven ; he was likewise pleased to 
point out, and to caution us against the many dangers we 
daily stand exposed to with regard to salvation. Now one of 
the greatest dangers in the world is error, or the adoption of 
principles, or the following of rules, different from what Christ 
Jesus, the eternal and unerring wisdom of God, hath laid 
down in the Gospel. Wherefore our Saviour says, "Take heed 
of false prophets," meaning the authors and abettors of false 
doctrines ; " for although they come to you in the clothing of 
sheep, they are inwardly ravenous wolves ; " although they 
wear the face of innocence, sanctity and godliness ; — although 
they affect the purest and warmest zeal for the glory of God, 
and the good of souls ; yet in the bottom they are no more 
than " rapacious wolves," that are bent upon our entire ruin 
and destruction. 

"Take heed," therefore, " of false prophets." But how shall 
we distinguish those dangerous, pernicious, and destructive 
monsters 1 " You shall know them," our Saviour says, " by 
their works." As there can be no true virtue or zeal, but what 



146 



SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



is built upon, and conformable to, the laws and maxims of 
Christ J esus, it is plain that whoever deviates from those laws 
and maxims of Christ Jesus, can have no share of any true 
virtue or zeal. And this is visibly the case with all false 
prophets : for they never fail to rise up against the authority 
which Christ Jesus hath established upon earth, to instruct, 
govern, and conduct the faithful in the ways of heaven. 
They never fail likewise to teach new doctrines and prescribe 
new principles of action and conduct. They are always fond 
of walking in new and unbeaten tracks, of aiming at, and 
practising uncommon and extraordinary things. From their 
works, therefore, it is easy to know them, and consequently to 
avoid them, according to the direction of Christ Jesus. 

But how is it possible, you will say, that people who are 
extremely honest, extremely charitable, extremely regular in 
their conduct, should be in the wrong] If it were not possible, 
Christ Jesus would not have declared it to be so, saying, 
" They come unto you in the clothing of sheep, but are 
inwardly ravenous wolves." It even appears from the words of 
Christ that it cannot be otherwise ; for he says, " Can any one 
gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles 1 A good tree 
cannot bring forth bad fruit, nor a bad tree good fruit." If, 
therefore, the tree be bad in itself, the fruit must likewise 
partake of the infected nature of the stock ; whence it plainly 
follows, that no action truly virtuous and good can proceed 
from any man who follows wrong and erroneous principles. 

The words of Christ Jesus not only serve to distinguish 
true from pretended virtues in others, but likewise in ourselves. 
People are very fond of flattering themselves with the hopes 
of eternal happiness, because they are Christians and Catholics 
— because they avoid certain heinous sins and transgres- 
sions, which others may be guilty of ; such as flagrant 
injustices, murder, blasphemy, or oppression. But is this, 
Christians, a sufficient title to the kingdom of heaven 1 
Christ Jesus declares it is not. For he says, " every tree that 
yieldeth not good fruit, shall be cut down and cast into 
the fire." What are these good fruits which alone entitle 
us to the kingdom of heaven 1 — fulfilling the law of God, and 
practising the virtues prescribed by the law — justice, tem- 
perance, godliness, humility, self-denial, and charity. With- 
out these good works we can have no expectation of 
eternal happiness : for heaven, Christians, is a reward which 
is never granted but to such as deserve it. " It is a crown of 
justice," St. Paul says ; that is, a crown due to the works of 
justice and righteousness alone. If, therefore, Christians, we 



SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



147 



have not these works of justice and righteousness to produce, 
it is plain we can have no pretensions to the crown of justice, 
which God reserves for the just and good in the kingdom of 
heaven. And this is the reason why St. Peter says in the first 
chapter of his second epistle — " Take care to make good your 
vocation to the faith of Christ by your good works." As if 
the apostle had said, you have been called, it is true, to the 
faith of Christ ; you have been called likewise to the possession 
of the kingdom of heaven, because it is the reward Christ 
Jesus hath promised to those that believe in him and fulfil his 
law; but then observe, you must make good your vocation by 
your good works ; or, in order to obtain the reward, you must 
do the good works prescribed by the law. This is likewise the 
reason why St. J ames says, in his second chapter, " What will it 
avail one to say, clear brethren, I have faith, or I profess the 
faith of Christ, if he have not the works of faith 1 Will his 
faith save him 1 ? Undoubtedly it will not : for man is justified 
by works, and not by faith alone." 

Are these the principles we have hitherto followed in our 
actions and conduct ? Have we ever taken any pains to con- 
vince ourselves of the necessity of bringing forth good fruit ? 
Have we ever considered seriously with ourselves, that " every 
tree that yieldeth not good fruit shall be cut down and cast 
into the fire," the devouring and everlasting fire of hell? 
"I have chosen you and appointed you," our Saviour says to his 
disciples in the fifteenth chapter of St. John, " that you go and 
bear fruit; and that your fruit remain." Like the disciples of 
the Lord, we have been chosen and appointed by the Almighty 
God, to bring forth the precious and lasting fruit of justice 
and righteousness, as we have been called to the faith of Christ 
— but how far have we complied with this destination of the 
Almighty God 1 What good have we done since we attained 
to the years of discretion? Have we constantly performed the 
good works prescribed by the law? Alas ! Christians, are not 
all our works, works of iniquity, works of darkness, works of 
interest and passion — at least works of the most criminal 
omission or negligence 1 What, then, will the consequence be, 
Christians ? We read it plainly in the Gospel of this day : 
" Every tree that yieldeth not good fruit shall be cut down and 
cast into the fire," the devouring and everlasting fire of hell. 
Let us, therefore, Christians, humble ourselves in the presence 
of the Almighty God : let us look back with sorrow and com- 
punction on our former neglect, and firmly resolve upon a 
thorough reformation of life for the time to come. 

Notwithstanding the positive declarations, the many and 



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SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



repeated threats of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, a great 
many lull themselves into a kind of security, from the hopes 
of repentance. They are conscious, they own, of not fulfilling 
the law, and of not practising the virtues prescribed by the law ; 
but still they hope, that upon applying to the Almighty God 
for forgiveness, they certainly will obtain mercy at his hands ; 
that is, the remission of their sins, and an undoubted title to 
the kingdom of heaven. But Christ Jesus declares the reverse 
in the Gospel of this day ; wherein he says, " It is not every- 
one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father;" or, 
in other words, he that fulfils the law, shall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven. Can anything be plainer than these 
words of our Lord and Saviour, J esus Christ, or more capable 
of undeceiving all those that expect eternal happiness upon 
the strength of a "Lord have mercy on me?" Christ Jesus 
declares that such as build upon this foundation, shall be disap- 
pointed and excluded for ever from the kingdom of heaven. 

But has not Christ Jesus promised forgiveness to repenting 
sinners % He has, Christians, but not to repentance that con- 
sists only in words : not to repentance that is deferred from 
day to day, and very often to the last moment of one's life. 
Not to repentance that proceeds purely from the fear of hell, 
and not from any real sorrow for having offended Almighty 
God, who, on account of his infinite greatness and perfections, 
is supremely worthy the obedience and love of all rational 
and intellectual creatures. Now, Christians, the repentance 
that people generally build upon is of this kind. Has 
not Christ Jesus promised forgiveness to repenting sinners ? 
He has : but at the same time he never promised them 
either the grace or leisure to repent. He has even declared 
the contrary in the Gospel ; saying, " Ye shall seek me, 
and you shall not find me ; and you shall die in your 
sins." What, then, have we to do, Christians'? "To work out 
our salvation," as St. Paul directs, " with fear and trembling.'"' 
To apply seriously to fulfilling the law, and the whole law; that 
is, not only avoiding certain sins and transgressions, but every 
material breach of the law. Not only practising any one par- 
ticular virtue, but all the essential virtues prescribed by the law. 
Nothing but our good works can secure our eternal happiness. 
Let us therefore " do good while we have light," as our Saviour 
directs in the Gospel, " for the night will come," — the dismal, 
dreary night of death ; that dark and dreadful night, the night 
of eternal misery and pain — " in which no man can do good." 
Let us not content ourselves with saying, Lord, Lord; but rather 



EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



149 



fulfil the word of God, by keeping faithfully and constantly 
his commandments; for Christ Jesus declares, that whoever 
fulfils the law, shall be admitted to the participation of the 
joys and glory of the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The parable mentioned in the Gospel of this day, of the rich 
man, who brought his steward to an account for wasting and 
dissipating his substance, shows us plainly, Christians, that 
Almighty God will bring every one to an account for the .use he 
makes of those gifts and graces which Providence thinks proper 
to bestow upon him in this world. Now, wealth being one of 
those gifts, which, well used, powerfully helps us on in the 
ways of life ; but abused (as it generally is), leads us blind- 
folded into the gloomy ways of eternal death — a due considera- 
tion of this subject demands our most serious attention. 

Let a person be ever so rich or powerful, he is no more than 
the steward of the Almighty, and consequently accountable at 
the ^tribunal of God for his administration. At the last hour, 
therefore, the Almighty will certainly address every rich man 
in the words of the Gospel of this day — " Give an account of 
thy stewardship." But what account 1 Where is the man 
possessed of any considerable share of the wealth of this world, 
who does not think himself master of disposing of it as he 
thinks proper 1 Is it not even rare to find a man who does not 
dispose of it, in fact, in a most iniquitous and criminal manner, 
either to gratify his vanity, his ambition, his sensual appetites, 
or inordinate desires 1 Is it for this end the Almighty bestows 
wealth 1 Undoubtedly it is not ; for being infinitely wise and 
good, he must have some views worthy of that wisdom and 
goodness, in giving to some a considerable share of wealth, 
in preference to thousands of others, who are left in the greatest 
misery and want : that is, he must certainly intend the rich 
should use their riches in a manner conformable to the light of 
reason and the principles of religion, for their own support, and 
support of their families, the education and establishment of 
their children, and finally for the relief of the necessitous and 
poor. To make use of riches in any other shape, or for any 
other purpose, is plainly deviating from the views of God, and 
counteracting his wise and bountiful intentions, and, of course, 
rendering us extremely guilty in his eyes. On this account, 
Christ Jesus calls riches, " the riches of iniquity not because 
they are bad in themselves ; for if they were, the Almighty 



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EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



God would never have bestowed them; and besides, the 
patriarchs of the Old Law were rich and opulent, yet men of 
distinguished sanctity and holiness ; but because people render 
themselves extremely criminal in his eyes by the abuse of the 
riches that God has bestowed upon them. 

It is uncommon, indeed, that people deviate from the views 
of Providence so far as not to employ their riches for their own 
support, the support of their families, or the establishment of 
their children ; but it is too common that they overlook the 
material point of relieving the poor, although it be one of the 
most essential obligations of religion : an obligation enforced 
by a special command, both in the Old and New Law ; in the 
Old, "the Spirit of God says, in the fifteenth chapter of 
Deuteronomy — "Poor shall not be wanting in the land, there- 
fore, I command thee to open thy hand to thy needy and poor 
brother in the ]STew, Christ Jesus says, in the twelfth chapter 
of St. Luke, "'Give alms; provide yourselves with a treasure 
in heaven that wasteth not, where no thief approacheth, nor 
moth consumeth." 

Now, that this command is a most essential and indispen- 
sable obligation, appears from the sentence of eternal perdition 
which Jesus Christ is, on the last day, to pronounce against all 
the reproved in general ; wherein no mention is made of any 
other sin or transgression, than the neglect of charity alone : 
" Go, ye accursed, into eternal fire; for I have been hungry, and 
you gave me not to eat ; thirsty, and you gave me not to drink : 
naked, and you have not clothed me ; sick, and in prison, and 
you have not visited me. Go, therefore, ye accursed, into 
eternal fire." From these tremendous words of our Lord and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ, it clearly follows, that alms-giving is a 
most essential point of the law, since nothing less than a 
transgression of an essential point of the law could exclude us 
from the kingdom of heaven, and make us liable to the ever 
lasting torments of hell. Every one, therefore, that God has 
blessed with any share of the substance of this world, should 
make it a rule to relieve the poor, as often and as far as his 
abilities will permit. Let those that have much, give much ; 
and those that have but little, give even a slender part of that 
little they possess ; whereby they may merit more in the eyes 
of God than the rich by their frequent and plentiful contribu- 
tions ; as appears from the widow's mite, which was of more 
consequence before Almighty God, as Christ Jesus assures us, 
than large sums given by others. 

It is not only an obligation upon the faithful in general 
to relieve the poor, but likewise their interest to do so, from 



EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



151 



the many blessings Almighty God has been pleased to annex 
to, and entail upon, this act of religion. Those blessings are 
two-fold — temporal and spiritual. The temporal blessings 
are visibly contained in several places, in the Old and the 
New Law. In the Old, we find in the twenty-fourth chapter of 
Proverbs, the Holy Ghost declaring that, " He that giveth 
unto the poor, shall not want; but he that despiseth his 
cries, shall be reduced himself to misery and poverty." 
And again in the twenty-ninth chapter, " He that takes pity on 
the poor, sets his money at interest unto the Almighty 
God, who will give it back again." Further, Christ 
Jesus says, by the pen of St. Luke, sixth chapter, " Give, 
and it shall be given unto you : for with what measure you 
measure unto others, it shall be measured unto you again." 
It must however be acknowledged, that Almighty God is not 
always pleased to crown our charities with temporal blessings, 
as the latter may be, and frequently are, prejudicial to our 
salvation ; but what cannot be doubted, Christians, is, that 
alms are surely and constantly productive of many great 
spiritual advantages. These spiritual advantages are likewise 
of two sorts, relative to the different states a Christian may be 
in; a state of sin, or a state of grace. The Holy Ghost 
declares, that " as water quenches fire, so do alms resist sin : " 
and the great apostle assures us, that "charity covereth a 
multitude of sins." Not by remitting sin directly, for this is 
reserved to the power of the sacraments alone; but by moving 
the Almighty God to pity, and inducing him to grant us the 
grace to repent, and thereby obtain the forgiveness of all our 
sins. From a knowledge of its powerful effects, the prophet 
Daniel advised the wicked king of Babylon, Nabuchodonosor, 
who had carried his iniquities to the highest pitch, to " redeem 
his sins by alms." 

But when do the power and influence of alms appear 
strongest, with regard to sinners'? At the close of life, 
Christians, when all the vanities and pride of life glide away 
in smoke — when our good or bad actions alone remain to 
attend us to the dread tribunal of God's justice, where we 
must all appear to receive an irrevocable sentence. At that 
dreadful hour, I say, the sinner will find alms a powerful sup- 
port, perhaps the only resource to rescue him from the gates of 
hell, and obtain mercy in the presence of his God. " Happy 
is the man," says the royal prophet, " who takes notice of the 
indigent and poor, for the Lord will deliver him." When 1 
" In the evil day," when he will be threatened with eternal 
misery and pain. Besides, Christ Jesus exhorts us, in the 



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NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



Gospel of this day, to "make friends to ourselves of the 
mammon of iniquity, that when we shall fail, they may receive 
us into the eternal mansion." From whence it clearly follows, 
that the greatest hopes a sinner can entertain, at the last hour, 
are grounded on his alms and charities. 

With regard to the just likewise, nothing is more useful or 
profitable than alms. For first — they essentially help to atone 
for all their past sins and offences, even as to the temporal 
punishment due to them. Secondly — They obtain new and 
powerful graces and aids from God, to resist sin, and fulfil his 
holy laws. Thirdly — They add greatly to the glory and 
happiness reserved for them in the kingdom of heaven : for 
Christ Jesus declares, " that even a glass of cold water given 
in his name, shall not want its reward." What extraordinary 
advantages are those, Christians, and how worthy our attention ! 
Should they not prevail upon every individual to be charitable 
to the poor upon every occasion, as far as circumstances will 
permit. Let every one give, as Christ Jesus directs, and give in 
the spirit of religion, for the sake of Christ, to satisfy the justice 
of God, to obtain mercy at his hands, or an increase of rewards 
in the life to come. Let every one, I say, give in this manner, 
" and it shall be given unto him," as the Lord God declares ; 
that is, the grace of God in this life, and eternal happiness in 
the next. Amen. 



NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

What could have been the meaning, Christians, that Christ 
Jesus, who bore his own sufferings with the greatest resolution 
imaginable, should have wept at the sight of Jerusalem? A 
certain regard and tenderness for that city, and a sentiment of 
pity for the many calamities that were in a short time to be- 
fall it ; for, as Christ J esus was the Son of David, according to 
the flesh, he must have had a particular regard for the Jews, 
as being the descendants of Abraham, to whom the promises 
were made, and whom the Almighty God had often assured 
that he would bless his posterity for ever ; that he would look 
upon his descendants as his own people ; that he would take 
them under his special protection ; that he would make them 
powerful and great • and finally, that the Messiah should be 
born of his race. As he knew, therefore, in spirit, the evils that 
were in a short time to fall upon his brethren, he cried out 
with a transport of grief at the sight of the unfortunate 
Jerusalem, " Hadst thou but known, and even in this thy day, 



NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



153 



the things which pertain to thy peace, but are now hidden 
from thine eyes." 

This is a broken sentence, and the natural effusion of uncom- 
mon grief. But the meaning is, hadst thou but known, even in 
this thy day, the things which pertain to thy peace and felicity, 
namely — acknowledging Christ Jesus as the true Messiah, the 
Son of God and Redeemer of mankind ; hadst thou but known 
these things, and the heavy misfortunes which are soon to 
befall thee, thou wouldst certainly weep along with me. " For 
the day shall shortly come, when thine enemies shall encompass 
thee with a trench, enclose and straiten thee on every side, 
then beat thee to the ground, so as not to leave a stone upon 
a stone." This was a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, 
which was literally fulfilled in about thirty-seven years after- 
wards, by the Emperor of Rome, who besieged, took, and 
demolished it, after beating the Jews in several battles, reduced 
its temple (the pride and glory of Jerusalem), tumbled its 
buildings and its walls into one huge heap of ruins. These 
were the evils which our Saviour foresaw in spirit would soon 
come upon Jerusalem, which moved him to tears from a sen- 
timent of compassion for that unfortunate city, and all its 
most unfortunate inhabitants. But what was the cause of 
these great and unspeakable evils 1 Christ Jesus points it out 
in the Gospel of this day, wherein he declares that the Jews 
were to be treated with all that severity on account of their 
perverseness; because they did not know, nor would they know, 
the time of the visitation of the Lord ; that is, the time in 
which Christ Jesus, the Messiah or Redeemer promised to 
their forefathers, vouchsafed to visit and make himself known 
unto them. 

What Christ Jesus said publicly of Jerusalem upon this 
occasion, is only an image, the holy fathers say, of what the 
Almighty says inwardly unto every sinner, by the inspirations 
of his Holy Spirit or grace, during his prevarication or 
obstinacy in sin. For every grace granted a sinner in this 
situation is a visit from the Lord. The time of receiving this 
grace is the time of the heavenly visitation. By inward 
inspiration the Spirit of God saith unto every sinner, "Hadst 
thou but known the things that pertain to thy peace;" that is, 
the excessive bounty and goodness of God, who is thus inviting 
thee to repentance, and the great and valuable blessings that 
must follow thy returning unto the Lord, thou certainly 
wouldst obey the voice of Heaven, and forsake thy wicked 
ways. Hadst thou likewise known the severe punishments 
that are reserved for thine obstinacy and perverseness, thou 

L 



154 



M NTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



certainly wouldst weep, and bemoan with tears thy miserable 
and dreadful fate. It cannot be doubted, Christians, but the 
Almighty does pursue the sinner in his prevarication, and by 
his holy grace invite him to repentance. For he says in the 
first chapter of Proverbs, " I have called you, and you have 
refused to answer my call and again, " I stand at the door 
and strike;" that is, I stand at the door of a sinner's heart and 
seek for admittance. But if a sinner should constantly refuse 
to answer the Almighty's call and deny him admittance into 
his heart, what must the consequence be 1 Undoubtedly the 
Almighty, grown weary of seeking for him, will at length 
withdraw his holy grace in punishment of his obstinacy and 
perverseness ; and in the end give him up a victim to his 
iustice, by assigning him over to the everlasting torments of 
hell ! " We have done all we could," the Angel says in the 
Old Law, " to reclaim Babylon from all its dissoluteness, but 
it would not be reclaimed ; let us, therefore, forsake it, and 
abandon it to its own misfortunes." And in the book of Pro- 
verbs, first chapter, " I called and you refused — I will laugh in 
vour destruction, when sudden calamity shall fall on you, and 
destruction, as a tempest, shall be at hand : when tribulation 
and distress shall come upon you, then you shall call upon me, 
and I will not hear." 

Thus it was the Almighty dealt with the Jews, who were 
given up a prey to their enemies, for their infidelity, although 
they were the children of the promise, the chosen, and dis- 
tinguished people of God. And this will likewise be the case 
with all sinners who obstinately persist in their sinful ways, 
in opposition to the grace of God, and the voice of Heaven, 
which is continually inviting them to repentance. But let us 
seriously reflect, Christians, may it not be our case, in 
particular ] We are all conscious of having sinned — frequently 
sinned, grievously sinned. Many of us, perhaps, are conscious 
to ourselves, of living daily in a state of sin even now, although 
the Almighty God is daily pursuing them in their disobedience, 
calling and inviting them back by his holy grace to repent- 
ance. For this end he makes them frequently hear the voice 
of his ministers — for this end he fills their hearts with remorse 
for the sins they commit — for this end he awakens all their 
fears, by representing to their minds, from time to time, all the 
dreadful evils of his severe and inflexible judgments — and for 
this end am I this day sent to call you back, O you strayed 
little ones of the house of God — you sinners, whoever you are, 
il though your sins be red as scarlet," come, forsake your sins, 
" and you shall become white as snow;" come, " and see how 



NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



155 



sweet the Lord is : come, for the Lord God has his arms 
extended to receive, to embrace you as a son ! 

What impressions do those strong and continual graces 
make upon our minds 1 Do they wean us from sin, and con- 
vert us unto the Lord? After the prodigious multitude of 
graces we have been favoured with by Almighty God, since 
we attained the use of reason; after the many aids we 
have already received, and continue daily to receive in the 
Church of Christ ; frequent instructions, participation of 
the sacraments, the benefit of the sacrifice, continual prayer 
and good example ; after all these aids, I say, what situation 
are we in, in the sight of God 1 ? Are we not as far removed 
from the kingdom of heaven, perhaps farther, than those that 
never heard of the all-saving name of Christ ? Have not 
the treasures of heaven been continually lavished upon us to 
no purpose, and without any fruit to our souls ? Ho w guilty 
must we not appear in the eyes of God, and what severe pun- 
ishments must we not expect for thus constantly abusing his 
choicest gifts, and his most valuable blessings ! There is not 
any one single grace we receive, in the whole course of our 
lives, but we must account for at the tribunal of God. He 
that received five talents was brought to an account for those 
five, as well as he that received but the one, was brought to 
an account for that one. And Christ Jesus declares in the 
Gospel, that "the more one receives, the more he is account- 
able unto God." 

What just reasons have we not, Christians, to fear " a most 
dreadful expectation of judgment," as St. Paul says, for the 
many powerful graces we have received, and the ill use we 
have made of them. " Many shall come from the east and 
from the west," our Saviour says, " and shall enter the king- 
dom of heaven ; whilst the children of the kingdom shall be 
cast forth." The children of the kingdom are those that are 
called to the faith of Christ and consequently called to the 
kingdom of God ; because that is the reward which Christ 
Jesus hath promised to all those who believe in him and fulfil 
his holy laws. These children of the kingdom shall be cast 
forth, and excluded for ever from that heavenly kingdom — 
Why? On account of their infidelity to the graces they 
received. 

It becomes then of the last consequence to us to be 
obedient to the voice of heaven, and faithful to the graces we 
daily receive from Almighty God. " If to-day you hear the 
voice of the Lord, take care," the royal prophet says, " you 
harden not your hearts." To be obedient to the voice of 



156 



TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



heaven, with regard to sinners, is renouncing quickly their sins 
and all their sinful ways, and returning sincerely unto the 
Lord ; with regard to the just, is corresponding with the grace 
of God in doing good. Let us, therefore, be attentive hereafter 
to the visitation of the Lord, by complying faithfully with the 
graces he imparts, whereby we shall certainly obtain the 
rewards he has promised to his true and faithful servants in 
the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel this day lays before us a very surprising, at the 
same time, a very instructive and improving lesson for our 
consideration. Two men went up to the temple to pray, the 
one a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Pharisee boasted in 
the sight of God of not being either an extortioner, an adul 
terer, an unjust dealer, or such as the publican who was along 
with him ; he besides glorified in fasting twice a week, and 
giving the tithes of all he possessed. The publican, on the 
other hand, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards 
heaven, but standing afar off, with down-cast eyes, he 
frequently knocked his breast, saying, " Lord ! be merciful 
unto me a siuner." What was the consequence 1 ? " The pub- 
lican returned home justified rather than the Pharisee." The 
publican obtained pardon and forgiveness from the Almighty 
hand of God, which the Pharisee did not. 

What can be the cause, Christians, of so extraordinary an 
event % Undoubtedly the humility of the publican on the one 
hand, and the pride and presumption of the Pharisee on the 
other. Froru this one passage, we may learn of what con- 
sequence humility is in the sight of God, and how far it is 
incumbent on us to acquire and practise so necessary a virtue. 
In the consideration of this question, the motives that should 
inspire, and the advantages that flow from humility, present 
themselves to our view as of singular importance. 

The first motive, Christians, is our own littleness and insig- 
nificancy : For " what is man, that thou," O God ! " lookest 
on him V No more than a vile compound of earth ; " over- 
whelmed with miseries," as Job calls him, "the offspring of 
corruption, mother and sister to the worms full of the most 
shameful weaknesses and passions ; always prone to evil, and 
extremely averse to everything that is good; subject to 
infirmities, sufferings, dissolution, and death. Man is, indeed, 
endowed with reason, and thereby distinguished from the 



'IENTH SUNDAY AFTER PEXTECOST. 



157 



brutal and insensible part of the creation ; but is not our very 
reason our greatest disgrace, by our acting, most commonly, 
in opposition to the dictates of that reason, and in a manner 
unworthy the very beasts of the field ! Our life is but a mo- 
ment — a shadow that passes ; and what we do during the short 
duration of life, a source of infamy and shame. Notwithstand- 
ing all this, people will be so thoughtless, I should have said, so 
stupid, as to entertain a high opinion of themselves. " Earth 
and dust thou art," says the Holy Ghost, " what reason hast 
thou to pride 1 ?" No reason, indeed, Christians; yet it 
is the folly of a great many to be continually raising them- 
selves, and depressing others. From their behaviour, one 
should imagine they were not formed of the same clay 
with the rest of mankind. If they speak, it is in the 
most contemptuous terms ; if they act, it is with the highest 
arrogance and disdain. " Earth and dust," as they are, 
" what reason have they to pride ?" It may be objected, that 
whatever the weakness of man may be, he is still endowed with 
great perfections. Admitting he is, whence are those perfections 
derived 1 Do they not proceed from the hand of God, " from 
whom," as the apostle says, "all excellent gifts descend'?" 
And if so, what room can there be for vanity or ostentation ? 
" What hast thou," says St. Paul, " that thou hast not received'? 
And if thou hast received all that thou hast, why dost thou 
glory as if thou received it not V The first motive, therefore, 
that should make us humble in the eyes of God, and in the 
eyes of man, is our own littleness, misery, and essential 
dependency; the second motive is. that Christ Jesus com- 
mands us to be humble, and to think little of ourselves. 

This command is contained in those words to his disciples, 
" Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart." 
That this is a command, or a precept, of the strictest kind, 
appears from another passage in the Gospel, wherein we read 
that our Saviour, after setting a little child in the midst of 
his disciples, said unto them, " Unless you be converted, and 
become like unto this little one, you shall never enter the 
kingdom of heaven." Here we see, that for want of humility 
we are certainly to be excluded from the kingdom of God : 
whence it follows, that humility is one of the essential and 
necessary virtues of Christianity, and, consequently, a virtue 
of indispensable obligation. But in what does this virtue 
consist 1 ? It consists in thinking lowly of ourselves, in the 
sight of God and in the sight of man; in not seeking, but 
rather avoiding all honour and distinction before man ; in not 
valuing ourselves so much on account of any advantages of 



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TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



birth, fortune, or merit ■ in referring any perfections we may 
have (for perfections there are, and distinguished perfections, 
both of soul and body) unto the Almighty God, from whom 
they are derived : in not undervaluing or despising those that 
are destitute of the like advantages, but rather paying them 
the respect which is clue to them, as rational creatures, and as 
Christians, who are made to the image and likewise of God. 
For as rational creatures and as Christians, they are likewise 
the children of God, members of Christ, and, by their adoption 
in Christ, heirs to the kingdom of heaven, which is certainly 
the greatest dignity that man can attain to. " Let every one, 
in humility," St. Paul says, " think others superior unto him- 
self." By this means we shall become like unto little ones, as 
Christ J esus directs, and also partake of the great advantages of 
which humility is productive. 

" God resisteth the proud," St. James says, " and giveth 
grace to the humble." What grace 1 — the grace of conver- 
sion, of improvement in virtue and godliness. Of conversion : 
there is not a more effectual means of moving the Almighty 
God to pity, and obtaining mercy at his hands, than humility. 
This is evident from the example of the publican, in the 
Gospel this day, who, by humbling himself in the lower 
part of the temple, was justified, whilst the proud Pharisee 
was rejected and left in his sins. The reason of this is, that 
as God alone is truly and infinitely great, he cannot bear to 
see an insignificant creature, a worm of the earth, usurping 
and arrogating unto himself a share of the honour and glory 
which are due to him alone. But humility doth quite the 
reverse : it pays unto God the honour and glory which are 
his due, and makes us consider ourselves what we really are — 
nothing in his eyes ; it renders us, therefore, pleasing unto 
God, and draws down his most valuable gift — conversion. 
Let us, therefore, make it a point to humble ourselves fre- 
quently, in spirit, under the powerful hand of God, as St. Paul 
directs : to confess in his presence, that honour, power, and 
dominion are due to him alone : that we are no more than 
poor, contemptible creatures, full of misery and sin ; that we 
should have been long since a prey to the devouring flames of 
hell, had not the Almighty spared us, in his infinite mercy, 
and given us time to repent. If we would humble ourselves 
in this manner in the presence of the Lord, we should 
certainly be justified, like the humble publican, in the sight 
of God ; that is, we should certainly obtain the grace of for- 
giveness and conversion, and likewise graces of improvement 
in virtue and godliness. 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



159 



Christ Jesus says, in the Gospel, "he that exalteth himself 
shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be 
exalted." How 1 ? In grace and merit. This must necessarily 
be the case, if we consider that the more excellent any act of 
virtue is, the more meritorious it becomes in the eyes of God. 
Now humility is undoubtedly a virtue of the most excellent 
kind, as it is the foundation and perfection of all virtue. The 
foundation — because, as St. Cyprian observes, it is impossible 
to rise to the higher degrees, without first passing throngh the 
lower ; the perfection — because virtue is like a noble edifice, 
as St. Augustine observes, which, to rise the higher, must have 
the foundation the more deeply laid. Seeing, therefore, that 
humility is a virtue of the greatest excellence, it follows that 
the practice of it must be extremely meritorious, and produc- 
tive of the greatest blessings from the hands of God. "Whom 
shall I look upon," saith the Lord, by the pen of Isaias, " but 
upon the humble and poor]" And again (Prov. 29) "Glory 
shall attend the humble in spirit." The royal prophet assures 
us in the 101st Psalm, that " the Almighty looks down on the 
prayer of the humble, and doth not despise their prayer." 
What incitements are these to the practice of humility ! Let 
each individual examine how far he is acquainted with, or has 
practised this virtue hitherto. Are we not all, for the most 
part, total strangers to, and unused in the practice of it, though 
it be one of the most essential obligations of religion ] Is it 
not our chief study to please the world, and solicit its applause] 
For the time to come, at least, let us make it a rule to humble 
ourselves every day in spirit, in the presence of the Lord ; never 
to act from a view of vain glory; and to flee, to despise the 
glory of this world. By these means we shall atone for our 
past neglect in this particular, and acquire a certain facility in 
practising this great and necessary virtue. By these means 
we shall be exalted, as Christ Jesus declares, not to the vain 
and passing honours of this world, but to a high degree of 
spiritual merit and godliness, which will infallibly open to us 
the gates of glory and happiness in the world to come. Amen. 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The deaf and dumb man who was miraculously cured by our 
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, as we read in the Gospel this 
day, is an image, the holy fathers say, of a sinner, who, by the 
frequent commission of sin, is grown hard, and, as it were, 
insensible to his own situation, deaf and dumb to the 



160 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



monitions and inspirations of the Holy Ghost. Deaf in this 
situation to the voice of heaven, argues a hardness of a most 
lamentable nature; and dumb, that he is likewise almost 
incapable of addressing or making the least application to 
Almighty God, which is, undoubtedly, the most dreadful 
situation a Christian can be in. Whilst a man retains some 
feeling of his misery, some fear of the judgments of God, some 
apprehensions of hell, there are always some hopes, let his sins 
be ever so heinous. One moment's reflection inspired and 
improved by the grace of God ; a moving sermon or exhortation ; 
the sudden death of a friend ; some unforeseen accident, in a 
word, may excite him to repentance, induce him to forsake his 
evil ways, and return unto the Lord his God. But should a 
man grow hard and insensible, and settle in his sins and 
iniquities with a certain security of mind, it is plain that 
nothing most commonly does or can ensue but final impenitence 
— eternal perdition ! 

How is it possible to avoid this danger, when people will 
neither see it, nor fear it, nor take any precautions against it 1 
And what numbers of our brethren are there in this dreadful 
situation, in the very midst of Christianity ! How many are 
daily walking in the ways of death, who seem as quiet and as 
contented in their criminal enjoyments as if assured by divine 
revelation of eternal happiness ! Plunged in the shades of 
death, they have no thoughts bub of enjoying the pleasing, 
deluding, empty joys of this life, which in a moment must end; 
but end in their everlasting ruin ! 

Sinners ! " you who have eyes and see not, ears and hear 
not ;" you, who have eyes and ears to see and behold every- 
thing but what concerns you most ; you who have hitherto 
strayed in the paths of error and vice — Oh ! why wi]l you be 
deaf to the voice of God, who now calls on you, by his unworthy 
minister 1 Return, I say, return to the delights prepared for 
you in the friendship of your God. 

Whence proceeds this insensibility on the part of sinners, 
this folly and madness ? From the justice of God, who, in 
punishment of their obstinacy in sin, abandons them at length, 
by withdrawing his holy grace, and delivers them a prey to 
their own natural weakness and corruption. 

" Without the grace of God, we cannot so much as think of 
the things of God," St. Paul says. Whilst the grace of God 
resides within us, we never lay aside the thoughts of salvation: 
for the effects of divine grace upon the soul consist in pious 
thoughts in the mind and pious emotions in the heart. But 
if the Almighty should withdraw his grace, it follows we can 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



161 



have no thought or relish for the things of God. "The 
earthly man," says St Paul, " has no taste hut for the things 
of the earth." Now, Christians, that the Almighty God does 
withdraw his grace from sinners, in punishment of their re- 
peated sins and transgressions, is a certain principle of religion, 
grounded upon many plain and incontestable passages of Holy 
Writ, as in the cases of the impious kings of Babylon, 
Nabuchodonosor and Balthazar, and "the wicked man, King 
Antiochus." In the fifty-first chapter of the prophet Jeremiah, 
the Angel of the Lord says, "We have endeavoured to save 
Babylon, but it would not be saved; let us therefore abandon it." 
Again, the prophet Isaias, " Seek the Lord whilst you can find 
him; invoke him, whilst he is near you : for the time will come, 
when you cannot find him. ; because he will quit you, and not 
hear your petitions." Besides, we read in the Gospel these 
dreadful words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ : " You 
shall seek me, and you shall not find me ; and you shall die in 
your sins." 

From all these passages it plainly appears, that Almighty God 
frequently abandons the sinner; and, that it is a principle of his 
eternal wisdom and justice, to leave him to his own weakness 
and corruption; whereby he necessarily falls into a state of hard- 
ness and insensibility. Then, indeeed, he truly becomes deaf, 
and dumb, and blind, and lame. Deaf, in neglecting, despising 
the calls of heaven; dumb, in not applying for those aids in the 
Church of God whereby "he may be converted and live;" 
blind, except in sensual vanities ; and lame in the ways that 
lead to the city of God. And is not this the situation of mul- 
titudes of Christians in our days They not only have 
frequently offended the Lord — offended him grievously ; but 
continue daily to offend him, in the most heinous and public 
manner, without the least remorse, or the least fear of the 
terrible judgments of the Lord. Talk to them of those terrible 
truths — they are deaf ; open wide before them the deep abyss 
of hell — they are dumb; let them view those flaming floods of 
tire — they are blind, they will not see them; let them hear the 
shrieks and groans of the thousand thousands who are locked 
up for ever in that region of horrors — they hobble away lame 
and limping, until destruction, like a tiger, grips them. How 
comes this? Because the Almighty God has withdrawn his holy 
grace, in consequence of which they are grown hard in their 
sins and sinful ways ! 

You are not, however, to imagine, Christians, that the 
Almighty ever withdraws his grace so far, even from the 
greatest sinners, as to leave them destitute of all sort of help or 



162 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



assistance. No ; if this were tlie case the command would be 
impossible, and man under an absolute necessity of sinning ; 
which is a principle not consistent either with the goodness of 
God or the doctrine of his Church. But what you are to under- 
stand by what I have said, is that Almighty God, on account 
of many heinous transgressions, draws in his hand, and ceases 
to impart those strong and powerful graces which, well used, 
would certainly bring about our salvation — graces by which we 
not only could, but would, in reality, fulfil the law, and there- 
by attain to eternal happiness ; and is contented with giving* 
such feeble aids and assistance as enable us indeed to see, but 
which will never enable us to work out our salvation. Graces 
of this kind do, undoubtedly, produce some faint glimmerings 
in the mind, not unlike the feeble light which the benighted 
traveller may receive from the casual appearance of a star; but 
clouds of darkness hang over the mind, which hinder it from 
perceiving its real and eternal interests in their proper light. 
They may excite some pious emotions in the heart, but so weak 
and ineffectual, that they always prove useless, and leave us 
centred in our sins and iniquities. 

Now, Christians, let me ask you, can anything be more dread- 
ful than this state of hardness or insensibility, to which the 
sinner is reduced by his continual transgressions, wherein he 
neither has feeling of his misery, nor fear of the justice of God, 
nor desire of returning unto the Lord'? May we not justly 
account a situation of this kind the very commencement of 
reprobation or eternal perdition % But is not this situation, all 
dreadful as it is, that of a great many amongst us ] Or, 
although it should not be so, is it not very much to be feared 
it will soon be so % It is an undeniable principle of religion, 
that the grace of God is lessened in proportion to our infidelity : 
"He that hath not," our Saviour says, "shall even lose what he 
hath." The most slender fault we commit causes a deprivation 
or diminution of grace ; a great or considerable fault causes a 
still greater deprivation ; what, then, must follow from repeated 
sins and transgressions, from a continued chain of iniquities, 
from a whole life spent in the most flagrant violations of the law? 
When this is the case, the Almighty God only waits to see 
the measure of their iniquities filled, in order to assign them 
over to the everlasting torments of hell. In the meantime the 
sinner may lull himself to sleep in the very midst of danger, 
and on the very brink of destruction ; but this calm is the 
forerunner of the most dreadful storms, as the punishments of 
God always fall the heavier the longer they are deferred : 
" "When sinners think themselves most in safety," as St. Paul 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



163 



says, "then sudden ruin and destruction rush down upon 
them." 

Let every one of us, therefore, consider seriously with him- 
self, how much cause he has to dread and fear. To judge of 
our past sins, even from our present course of life, have we not 
the strongest reasons to apprehend that Almighty God will, in 
a short time, abandon us, by which means we must fall into a 
state of hardness and insensibility — the next step to reprobation? 
The only way to prevent so great a misfortune, is the fear of 
God : for which reason the royal prophet used frequently to 
conjure the Lord " to pierce his very flesh with his fear " — the 
fear of his most dreadful judgments and unappeasable justice. 
Let, in fine, the fear of the Lord be deeply impressed on our 
hearts. If at any time you fall, the fear of the Lord will incite 
you to arise quickly by repentance. The longer you continue 
in a state of sin, the more the Almighty will withdraw him- 
self from you, until, perhaps, at length, he abandons you for 
ever. But if the fear of God rules in your hearts, so far as not 
to suffer you to remain peaceably in a state of sin for any time, 
then you may hope for mercy in this life, and eternal mercies 
in the life to come. Amen. 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The duty of parents towards their children is a duty of the first 
magnitude, as it regards God and civil society. If the spirit of 
Christianity obliges us to do good to all, how much more strict 
is that obligation towards those to whom nature unites us by 
the closest ties? And yet people generally forget their strictest 
obligation, even where the motives are most urgent to fulfil 
them. This reflection applies particularly to parents, as 
parents — wherefore, I feel it incumbent to lay before them 
their obligations, and afterwards the motives for fulfilling 
them. 

The character of a Christian parent is one of the most 
illustrious the world has ever produced; as thereby he co- 
operates with God in planting his faith, and rearing up subjects 
for heaven. But this character applies only where the duties 
annexed to a parent are discharged. The first duty is in- 
struction. The Spirit of God says, in Deuteronomy, " This is 
the law I give yon. My will is, that it be engraved in your 
hearts ; but, at the same time, that it pass from your hearts 
upon your lips, to announce it unto your children." There is 
■she obligation, which is laid down in other places also ; and 



164 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



you cannot neglect it without transgressing a material point 
of the law. In discharging this duty, St. Chrysostom says, 
parents are the apostles of their children. As the instruction 
of the world was committed to the apostles, so is the instruc- 
tion of each growing family, committed to the parents ; for 
which reason St. Paul calls a private Christian family " a 
domestic Church." Whoever, then, is blest with children, 
should take special care to " instruct them and bring them up 
under the yoke of religion from their earliest infancy," as the 
same Spirit of God says, in Eccles., chap. 7. To instruct them, 
first — in the end for which they were created, namely — to 
serve God here, and enjoy him hereafter ; and secondly — the 
means necessary to obtain this end. Those means are, belief 
in the mysteries of faith, the Most Holy Trinity, the 
Incarnation, the Commandments of God and his Church, the 
sacraments of the New Law, and the preparations they require; 
in a word, whatever God commands in order to salvation, and 
what he forbids under pain of damnation. Christian parents, 
tell your tender offspring, tell them frequently, they were 
brought into life not to become rich and powerful, but poor in 
spirit, meek, and humble ; not to pass their days in pleasures 
or delights, but to despise its fleeting pleasures and take up 
the cross — to worship and adore Almighty God, to serve him, 
by fulfilling his laws, which lead to life everlasting ! Tell 
your little ones, and strike it deep into their tender hearts, that 
the greatest misfortune that can befall them is to offend 
Almighty God, by transgressing any one material point of his 
holy laws; because thereby they forfeit the grace of God, which 
is more valuable than all the treasures upon earth, and expose 
themselves to eternal perdition ! Tell them, I say, their love 
for God should make them resist all trials, the loss of fortune, 
of liberty, of life ! Thus the apostolic functions of a parent 
are discharged, in training up to the love and fear of God 
those whom they have already brought into existence. Is this 
the rule that is followed'? No; educating their children in the 
principles of religion is not the rule that is followed by the 
generality of parents ; and I speak to the generality. They 
instruct them with care in all the ways and vanities of the 
world; they teach them the rules of dress, the terms and 
niceties of fashion, a genteel deportment, sprightly turns of 
conversation ; every art, in fine, of pleasing a mortal eye, and 
gaining the esteem and applause of mankind ; but as for the 
principles of religion, that they never mind — whereby their 
children live and die destitute of virtue. Can it be otherwise, 
when the corruption of the world is such, that persons of the 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1G"> 

best education and the greatest caution can scarcely preserve 
themselves pure and untainted % How must it then be with 
those young persons, introduced into the world before they 
know what the world is — placed amidst its dangers before they 
know what danger is 1 Oh ! how pleasing to the vanity of a 
worldly parent to see her child cut a figure at a public 
assembly, and draw the attention, perhaps the admiration, of 
the thoughtless part of mankind ! Wait a while, and you 
shall see this darling child, whom the criminal parent bred up 
to vanity, and exposed to the infectious air of the world with- 
out the safeguard of religious principles, forfeit — shall I say 
her honour ? no ; but what is worse — her religion ! To prevent 
the like misfortunes in future, let every parent take special 
care to impress strongly the love and fear of God upon the 
hearts of their children, and a fear of the sinful ways of the 
world. This is your first obligation — the second is example. 

Instruction alone may inform the mind, and teach children 
what to do ; but it will never stir them up to action. Enemies 
by nature to all restraint, they never will apply to the practices 
of religion, if they be not, as it were, led by the hand, and 
excited by example. If, therefore, example be omitted, though 
the instruction be complete, the work is unfinished. It is 
raising with one hand, and destroying with the other. But 
when example is joined to instruction, it never fails to 
influence the mind and strongly affect the senses, at an age 
which is led more by custom or example, than by reason or 
reflection. Docility, vivacity, curiosity, a certain desire of 
imitation, are discernible in children, which naturally lead 
them on to action. What they see frequently done, they fre- 
quently do ; what they frequently do, becomes easy and 
familiar ; what is easy and familiar, passes into a habit ; and 
what passes into a habit, becomes a second nature. Thus 
children, by instruction and example, are made solidly and last- 
ingly virtuous ; whence it follows, that example must neces- 
sarily be one of the most indispensable duties of a parent: for 
as parents are, according to St. Chrysostom, the associates of 
Christ in the salvation of their children, it follows they are in 
conscience bound to employ the most effectual means to 
compass that end, and consequently the very powerful and 
effectual means of example. Every Christian parent should 
therefore follow up his instructions by examples of virtue in 
his own conduct ; examples of godliness, by praying with them 
at stated hours : going with them to the most holy sacrament 
on certain days, and assisting daily, if possible, along with 
them at the sacrifice of the New Law; examples of humility, by 



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TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



thinking and speaking lowly of themselves, and treating 
inferiors with condescension ; examples of charity, speaking 
always well of their neighbour, except in things criminal in 
their nature ; examples of self-denial, by refraining constantly 
from all excess, and observing punctually in their presence the 
fasts and other penitential works commanded by the Church. 
Instead of acting thus, parents are the first to lay before their 
children the most pernicious examples : examples of impiety, 
by cursing, swearing, and blaspheming in their presence ; ex- 
amples of immodesty, by talking before them, either in words 
of double meaning, or of subjects "that should never be 
mentioned," as St. Paul says ; examples of pride, by enlarging 
continually in their own praise, and setting themselves above 
the rest of mankind ; examples of detraction, by eternally 
speaking ill of their neighbours, exaggerating their faults, or 
blackening their virtuous actions ; examples of immortification, 
by committing frequent excesses, and paying no regard to the 
days of abstinence or penance prescribed by the Church of God. 
Now, let me ask, what impressions must examples of this kind 
make upon the soft and flexible minds of children? Undoubt- 
edly the worst impressions : for how often do we hear mere 
infants blaspheme the awful and venerable name of God, before 
they know how to invoke it ! talking nakedly of the greatest 
obscenities, before they can have any notion of modesty ! re- 
peating the numerous train of vices, before they are capable of 
distinguishing any one single virtue ! Whence proceeds this 
early depravity 1 From your example, O unhappy parents ! 
for which you shall account at the dreadful tribunal of God's 
justice. What does king David say? Listen to it, Christians, 
and to what follows : the subject is momentous, and demands 
your most serious attention. He tells you, the Israelites, after 
falling into idolatry, were so blind as to sacrifice their sons and 
daughters to devils. Their false and cruel piety could bear to 
see the blood of their innocent babes flowing before their idols. 
You do more. They only sacrificed the body : you destroy 
both body and soul, by sacrificing your little ones, from their 
very infancy, to the infernal spirits — the spirit of vanity, the 
spirit of pride, the spirit of ambition, the spirit of idleness, the 
spirit of ungodliness and folly. Was it for this end that 
Almighty God blessed you with children % Was it to sacrifice 
their souls and bodies, by your wickedness and your folly, to 
the everlasting torments of hell % This is generally the con- 
sequence, where parents neglect to improve and edify their 
children by virtuous examples. This should rouse all parents 
to bend their thoughts upon discharging their duty towards 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



167 



their children, according to the rules and maxims of religion. 
"You are my joy," says St. Paul to his new converts, "you are 
my joy, my glory, and my crown; " because they were the rich 
and precious fruits of his apostolic labours, the glorious spoils 
he had taken from the enemies of Christ, and the eternal 
monuments he was to raise to the name and honour of Christ 
Jesus, in his heavenly kingdom. The same may justly be 
applied by those Christian parents who teach and instruct their 
children byword and example : "You are my joy, my glory, 
and my crown;" you I have educated from your infancy in the 
love and fear of God ; you I have instructed in the necessary 
principles of religion; you I have led and, as it were, conducted 
by the hand to the practice of every virtue. The day will 
come, and shortly come, when I shall feel the inexpressible 
consolation of presenting you at the throne of God, and 
delivering you up, as so many glorious prizes, into the hands 
of your Redeemer, to bless and glorify his holy name during 
the unbounded length of eternity. To aim at this is your 
duty. Let us briefly consider the motives for discharging this 
duty. 

The first motive is the glory of God. To what purpose has 
God from the beginning ordained a constant and uninterrupted 
succession of men 1 Is it to stock the earth with people % 
Those who judge from "the wisdom of the flesh," as St. Paul 
says, may think so ; but religion points out a nobler end — to 
complete the number of the elect : as the Spirit of God says, 
"Man was created for the glory of God." As man is the parent 
of his own immediate offspring, so Almighty God is the universal 
parent of all; and children are no more, as St. Chrysostom says, 
than valuable and sacred pledges lodged by Providence in the 
hands of parents, to call them back at a proper time; whence it 
follows, that the chief care of all parents should be, to preserve, 
improve, and cultivate those sacred pledges, in order to give 
them up when called for, in the full perfection he requires. 
Otherwise parents do not discharge their trust ; and instead of 
true and faithful servants, they give up an impious race, who 
wage continual war with Almighty God in this world, and will 
for ever blaspheme his holy name in the next. As the salvation 
of your children is a necessary consequence of a virtuous educa- 
tion, so their temporal interests are materially connected there- 
with, as they derive from thence a steady principle of honesty 
and true honour, which must necessarily recommend them to 
public esteem in every situation. From a virtuous education, 
a nation is blessed with just and munificent princes, faithful 
and uncorrupt ministers, brave and undaunted warriors, vigi- 



168 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



lant and impartial magistrates, honest and loyal subjects. But 
taking the subject in a religious view, as it is connected with 
our salvation, which is the first object, I beg your attention 
for a few minutes longer. 

Now, Christians, the connection our education has with 
salvation is so very great, that the one depends most com- 
monly on the other. I have said most commonly, to prevent 
any objection that might rise in your minds from some extra- 
ordinary intervention of Providence. The foundation must 
be laid in infancy, by inculcating strongly on the mind the 
wholesome principles of religion. Then the mind is free from 
prejudice, untainted with error, unbiassed by passion, suscep- 
tible, like wax, of every impression ; it follows, that early 
impressions of the love and fear of God, the necessity and 
advantages of fulfilling his holy laws, must obtain a sufficient 
influence over all the succeeding actions of life. It may, it 
does, indeed, happen sometimes, that the most Christian and 
virtuous education is lost amidst the violence of passion and 
the corrupted ways of life. The fire of youth, solicitation, 
example, power and opportunity of unlawful gratification, 
frequently bear down the most virtuous principles ; but early 
lessons of virtue often revive, and bear down, in turn, all the 
aberrations of thoughtless levity or youthful folly. When the 
storms of passion and the fire of youth are allayed, the early- 
planted seeds of virtue will shoot up, and bear forth, in holy 
reflections and pious resolutions, a rich harvest of piety in 
their future lives. But where a Christian education is want- 
ing, you seldom behold a continuance of virtuous actions, nor 
a reformation from evil ones. How can you expect virtue 
where the principles of virtue were never sown ] " Whatever 
a man sows," St. Paul says, "that he will reap." If, therefore, 
a parent neglects sowing the early seeds of virtue, what ex- 
pectation can arise of seeing the children bring forth the 
inestimable fruits of justice ? The heart of man is a fruitful 
soil — fruitful from the depravity of human nature, in brambles 
and briars, in vice and error, unless early cultivated by a 
virtuous education. " Such as walk according to their own 
ways," the corrupted ways of rude and unpolished nature, "in 
their early and youthful days, will not recede from thence, 
even in the very last stage of life, the decadence of age." 
Seeing, therefore, that a virtuous life is generally the conse- 
quence of a virtuous education, you clearly behold how strong 
the motive that should induce every parent to give his 
children this virtuous education, whereon their temporal and 
eternal welfare so essentially depend. Parents need no incite- 



THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



169 



ment to love their children — this is the first call of nature : 
but let them show their love, by loving them in Christ ; loving 
them so as to procure the eternal happiness of their souls and 
bodies. The only way of doing this is, to rear them up in the 
love and fear of God. Look over the whole catalogue of 
human woes ; look farther, look into hell ; the damned shall 
tell you, and all the wretches on earth shall tell you, their 
calamities arose from — what 1 the want of a virtuous education. 
But observe, for it deserves great observation, those cruel, 
neglectful, un-Christian parents, will share in the eternal 
perdition of their children, and increase- the torments of hell 
by mutual rage, mutual invectives, mutual maledictions. " O 
cursed parents !" will they say, " you have been the only 
cause of our eternal destruction. Nature made you our 
parents, but you became our assassins ; the Almighty charged 
you with the care of our salvation, but you have led us on 
in the ways of damnation ; by your means we might have been 
in possession of the kingdom of heaven, but by your means 
we are now in the furnaces of hell, and shall remain there for 
ever and ever I" 

If therefore, Christians, you have any zeal for the ever- 
lasting happiness of your children, any fear of their eternal 
misery, any desire of partaking of the spoils of heaven, any 
apprehensions of sharing in their perdition, watch carefully 
over their tender years ; instruct them in the ways of heaven 
from their infancy ; inform their youthful minds of all the 
necessary principles of religion; inspire their tender and flexible 
hearts with the love and fear of God ; see that they know 
and perform the duty of Christians; teach them, by your 
example, what to do, what to avoid ; deter them continually 
from evil : incite them continually to good. By this means 
you will love them in, for, and with Christ Jesus ; you will 
deliver them from hell, and lead them and yourselves to the 
kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AETER PENTECOST. 

Although our Lord and Saviour, J esus Christ, could have in- 
stantly cured the ten lepers, mentioned in the Gospel of 
this day, yet we see, Christians, he was pleased to send them 
to the priests before he would cure them, in order to show 
us, as the holy fathers say, the necessity we are under of ap- 
plying to the ministers of Christ, in order to be cured of 
the leprosy of sin. As it was the business of the priests 

M 



170 



THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



of the Old Law to examine and judge whether a leper was 
perfectly cured, before he could be restored to public society, 
or suffered to mix and converse with the rest of the faithful ; 
so it is the business of the priests of the New Law, or the 
ministers of Christ, to examine into the inward state or 
dispositions of a sinner, before he can be restored to the 
grace of God; and after finding him in the proper disposi- 
tions, to cure him, in fact, of the leprosy of the soul, by grant- 
ing and imparting the forgiveness of his sins. The power of 
remitting sin is in the ministers of the New Law alone, as 
Christ Jesus hath vested this power in his apostles, saying unto 
them, " Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; whose sins ye remit, they 
shall be remitted unto them ; and whose sins ye retain, they 
shall be retained." Although it be unquestionable that the 
ministers of Christ have a power of remitting sin, yet this 
power cannot be exerted, nor has it the least effect, without 
certain dispositions on the part of the sinner. The conditions 
are contrition, confession, and satisfaction. 

Contrition is an inward, supernatural, universal, and su- 
preme sorrow for having offended the Almighty, by violating 
his holy laws, attended with a firm and effectual resolution of 
never more offending him, for any consideration whatsoever. 
This sorrow must, first, be inward ; that is, sincerely lodged in 
the soul ; for there is a sorrow barely apparent, barely consist- 
ing in words, and this is not a proper nor sufficient disposition 
for the sacrament. For the Holy Ghost says unto all sinners 
who mean to repent and return to the Lord, " Convert ye unto 
the Lord with your whole heart and again, " Tear your 
hearts" with sorrow, "and not your garments;" that is, let 
your sorrow be real and sincere, and not confined to outward 
signs or expressions. Secondly, this sorrow must be super- 
natural ; that is, it must proceed from the Spirit of God, or a 
motive of religion, such as, the offence given Almighty God, 
the ingratitude and injustice of violating his holy laws, and 
exposing ourselves to eternal perdition. For if our sorrow 
were grounded upon the shame or infamy attendant upon sin, 
the misfortuues that may flow from it in the eyes of the world, 
or any other human motive, it were not supernatural sorrow ; 
it were only human concern, and consequently no sufficient 
preparation for the sacrament. It must, thirdly, be universal 
in extent, and embrace all mortal sins without exception ; for 
if we should retain a wilful and criminal affection to any one 
mortal sin, or any one creature in particular, or practice, or 
principle, which are sinful in themselves, our conversion tc 
God could not be entire, and therefore we should still remain 



THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



171 



sinners in the eyes of the Lord. Penitential sorrow must 
fourthly, be supreme ; it must exceed any sorrow we may have 
for any temporal loss or misfortune whatsoever. For as the 
good sin deprives us of, is the greatest that can be imagined — 
eternal happiness, so the evil it brings on us is the greatest of 
all evils — eternal perdition, it clearly follows, the sorrow for 
sin should be supremely great — greater than all the concerns 
of this life. This sorrow must, in fine, be attended with a firm 
and effectual purpose of amendment — a firm, sincere, and 
effectual resolution of never committing any one mortal sin, for 
any consideration whatsoever. It is impossible for any one to 
be truly concerned for his sins, if he is not fully resolved to 
avoid them evermore. It is likewise impossible that our con- 
cern for having sinned be supremely great, if we be not sincerely 
disposed to sacrifice our dearest interests, our fortunes, and 
our very lives, rather than offend Almighty God again. 

The sorrow we are bound to have or conceive for our sins, 
is of two sorts ; the one perfect, the other imperfect. Perfect 
sorrow is called contrition by divines, and proceeds purely from 
the love of God : so that whoever has a perfect sorrow for his 
sins is concerned for having offended God, purely for his own 
sake ; because he is infinitely great and good, infinitely amiable 
and perfect, without any regard to eternal rewards, or eternal 
punishments. This high perfection of sorrow, is not necessary 
for the sacrament. It even j ustifies the sinner, or effaces our 
sin before we receive the sacrament ; though it always leaves 
an obligation of having recourse to the sacrament at a proper 
time. This it is necessary for you to know, Christians, be- 
cause you may be placed in such circumstances as may make 
it impossible for you to confess. In cases of this nature, 
by producing an act of perfect sorrow or contrition, you can 
obtain the forgiveness of all your sins. That sorrow which is 
imperfect is called attrition by divines, and is grounded not 
purely on the love of God, but on an inferior motive of religion 
— the fear of eternal punishments, or the loss and deprivation 
of eternal happiness. This sorrow, when attended with an 
effectual desire of fulfilling all justice, and consequently with 
a beginning of the love of God, is sufficient for the sacrament. 

These are, Christians, the essential qualifications of that 
sorrow which is requisite for the sacrament. If our sorrow be 
of this kind; that is, if it be internal, supernatural, universal, 
supremely great, and attended with a firm and effectual resolution 
of never more offending the Almighty God, for any consideration 
whatsoever, we have the first essential preparation for the sacra- 
ment. But if any one of the above mentioned qualifications be 



172 THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Avanting, we do not receive the benefit of the sacrament, but 
rather commit a sacrilege ; this is the most heinous sin we can 
be guilty of in the eyes of God, by going to the sacrament with- 
out the dispositions it requires. What now must we think of 
the preparation of the greater part of the Christians of our days'? 
Is their sorrow sincere and not barely confined to words ] Does 
it proceed from the Spirit of God 1 Is it grounded on a pure 
motive of religion 1 Does it extend to all sins and transgressions 
whatsoever 1 Are they sincerely and firmly resolved to sacri- 
fice their fortunes and their lives, rather than transgress any 
one material point of the law 1 On the contrary, are they not 
plainly and visibly determined to follow the same principles, 
the same ways, the same practices they did before, criminal as 
they are in the sight of the Lord ] 

The second disposition for the sacrament is confession, or 
a declaration of our sins to a lawful priest. For, as the 
spiritual power vested in the ministers of Christ authorises 
them not only to remit, but likewise to retain our sins ; for 
the proper discharge of their ministry it is necessary for them 
to know when to retain and when to remit, which they can 
never do without a proper declaration or information from 
the sinner. This confession or declaration must be sin- 
cere and entire ; that is, we must confess all the mortal sins 
we are guilty of, their different kinds and aggravations ; for 
should we omit declaring any one mortal sin, either through 
fear, shame, or neglect, we commit a sacrilege. But suppose 
one forgot a mortal sin, what is the consequence 1 If the sin 
be forgotten, for want of a due examination of conscience, the 
forgetting it is criminal in itself, consequently a mortal sin, 
and a sacrilege besides. Suppose likewise one should omit 
accusing himself of many things, because he does not scruple 
them — if these things be really sinful, he is guilty of a 
sacrilege every time he goes to the sacrament. Every man is 
not a judge of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of every action 
— this is the business of the doctors of the law, whom Christ 
Jesus hath appointed in his Church to expound the law. If, 
therefore, any one refuses following their decisions, and set 
up his own private opinions in opposition to theirs, he is 
certainly guilty and culpable in the eyes of the Lord. 

It is not our sins alone, and the number of our sins, we are 
obliged to confess, but likewise their different kinds and 
aggravations. For instance, it is a sin to steal anything in 
general; but it is a sacrilege to steal anything conse- 
crated to the worship of God, or belonging to his Church. 
Therefore, in a case of this kind, it is not enough to say you 



FOUUTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



173 



are guilty of stealing, but it is necessary to add, you stole 
something belonging to the Church, because this circumstance 
alters the nature of the sin. It is, likewise, a sin to steal 
from any one in general; but to steal even a small sum 
from a poor body, whose entire dependence is thereon, is a 
particular aggravation of the sin, which must be specified in 
confession. 

The third disposition for the sacrament is satisfaction or 
penance. For although the eternal punishments due to our 
sins are remitted, by virtue of the sacrament, yet there are 
some temporal punishments we are bound to undergo, in 
reparation of the injuries we had offered unto God ; and this 
is the reason why the ministers of Christ impose, and are 
bound to impose upon all sinners, a penance proportionable to 
their sins. There is, however, this difference between this 
part of the sacrament and those others, that omitting the pen- 
ance given in the sacrament, doth not annul it, or render it 
sacrilegious, as any defect in the others does. The omission 
of the penance is, indeed, a mortal sin, but doth not destroy 
the virtue of the sacrament. But if any one should give him- 
self the custom of neglecting his penance, it is plain he had not 
the other essential dispositions, which must have rendered all 
his confessions null and sacrilegious. 

From all that I have said, Christians, on this head, what 
are we now to conclude 1 First, to be extremely thankful to 
God for having left us so powerful a remedy in his Church as 
the sacrament of confession. Secondly, to convince ourselves 
that it is not confessing our sins, but confessing them with the 
proper dispositions, that justifies us in the sight of God. And 
thirdly, to do all that lies in our power to obtain these neces- 
sary dispositions, as often as we approach the sacrament. If 
we do this, Christians, we shall be made partakers of the great 
and inestimable blessings that are derived from this sacrament 
-—the grace of God in this life, and eternal happiness in the 
next. Amen. 



FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

It is impossible to serve two masters — and Christ J esus, our 
blessed Lord and Redeemer, has said so in the Gospel this 
clay ; because their respective interests are incompatible with 
each other, and what is pleasing to one must necessarily be 
displeasing to the other. It is impossible to serve God and 
mammon — Gocl and the world ; because the laws and maxims 



174 FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

of God are in direct opposition to the laws and maxims of the 
world. For what is it that God chiefly and principally re- 
quires from every Christian 1 "To seek the kingdom of 
heaven before all things." But what the world directs is, to 
seek the riches, the pleasures and honours of this life, even 
before the kingdom of God. What God requires, as laid 
down in St. Paul, is, " that we use this world as if we used it 
not, and possess all things, as if we possessed them not," by 
keeping our hearts continually disengaged : what the world 
prescribes is, that we entertain a strong and inviolable attach- 
ment to the frail and perishable possessions of this world. 
What God requires of us is, that we forgive the greatest in- 
juries, and do good unto those that do evil unto us ; but the 
world requires, that we return the slightest injuries, and pur- 
sue every affront we receive, with the utmost fury and 
revenge. What the Lord requires is, that those who mean to 
become first in the grace of God, become last in the eyes of 
man, by an humble and Christian deportment ; but what the 
world requires is, that we constantly aspire and place our- 
selves, if possible, in the highest stations, although it were by 
means of the vilest oppression and injustice, or though unpos- 
sessed of talents or qualifications. In a word, Christians, 
there is not any one situation of life wherein the laws and 
maxims of the world do not evidently clash with the laws and 
maxims of Christ J esus ; and from this continual opposition, 
it is plain that it is impossible to serve two masters — God and 
the world, as Christ Jesus declares in the Gospel of this day. 

From this impossibility of serving God and the world, what 
should a Christian conclude'? Undoubtedly to serve God and 
renounce the world : for all the advantages of this world can 
never make us eternally happy. On the contrary, they are the 
greatest obstacles to our eternal happiness : whereas serving- 
God and renouncing this world, and its fleeting, fading, 
perishable pleasures, lead infallibly to everlasting happiness. 
Instead of drawing this just inference, people in general con- 
clude quite the reverse ; and because they find it impossible to 
serve God and the world, they entirely lay aside the service 
of God, which alone leads to eternal life, and give themselves 
up entirely to the world, which infallibly leads to everlasting 
sorrow. " What will it avail a man," says Christ, " to gain 
the whole world, if he should lose his soul] Or what is it that 
can make the least compensation for the loss of his soul 1 " 
Suppose a man upon his deathbed, who had lived many years 
in the world, with all the success he could wish for, who by 
his care and industry had amassed a large fortune, which 



FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 17 5 

entitled him to all the pleasures and distinctions of life — sup- 
pose, I say, a man of this character upon his deathbed, what 
will his sentiments be at that last and dreadful hour with 
regard to this world and the world to come 1 Upon the point 
of seeing the world vanish before him, with all its riches, plea- 
sures and distinctions — upon the point of appearing before the 
supreme Master of heaven and earth, the most dreadful Judge 
of the living and the dead, to give an account of all the 
actions of this life — how must he be affected with regard to 
this world 1 He certainly would forfeit all the empires upon 
earth, were they at his disposal, in a situation of this kind, in 
order to prolong his life for a few years to serve God alone. 
Then he will conceive how monstrous a folly it is, to give up 
every title to the kingdom of heaven, for the frail and short- 
lived riches and advantages of this world. Then he will con- 
ceive how truly wise they were whom he thought fools — those 
who despised the world to serve Almighty God — those who 
preferred retirement, prayer, sobriety, mortification, and the 
practice of good works in general, to all the glaring, false, and 
superficial enjoyments of life. 

And why do not we, Christians, assume the same senti- 
ments at present 1 Impossible as it is to serve two masters — 
God and the world, why don't we at present declare for the 
service of God — why 1 Because, you say, it is impossible for 
one engaged in the world to give himself up to the service of 
God. How was it possible for David to do so, even upon the 
throne 1 He had undoubtedly more business, more important 
occupations than any one of us can pretend to. He was a 
great and powerful king, charged with the care of a whole 
nation ; taken up in time of war with the management and 
conduct of armies, and in peace with the laborious occupation 
of administering justice unto the public; yet he could find 
time enough to adore and worship the Almighty God, even 
seven times a day, as he declares himself in his psalms. 
Many other kings and princes have done the like, even in 
later days : and if others do not follow their virtuous 
example, it is not from want of ability or opportunity, but 
because it is not pleasing to them to do so, because they suffer 
themselves to be so blinded with the dazzling show and ap- 
pearance of this world, that they have not even time to think 
of Almighty God. 

But is it this world that created us ? Is it this world that 
redeemed us from the slavery of sin, and tyranny of hell 1 — is 
it this world that sanctified us, and raised us to the sublime 
condition of children of God 1 Is it this world that promised 



176 



FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



to crown our fidelity with eternal happiness — the glory of the 
kingdom of heaven 1 ? No, Christian, no. These great and 
inestimable blessings are derived from God alone. What 
then, Christians, what can influence such excessive attachment 
as we show for this world 1 What has it, or can it bestow, 
worthy our attachment ? All that the world bestows, are 
troubles, anxieties, disappointments ; at most a few empty and 
transitory pleasures, that must end in wild despair and eternal 
perdition. Are these sufficient motives to outweigh the great 
principles of religion that should prevail upon us to despise 
the world and serve God alone 1 From him alone we received 
all that we are, all that we possess ; and it is he alone that 
can make us eternally happy or eternally miserable in the life 
to come. 

Again, you may say, is it not incumbent on a man engaged 
in the world to provide for his family and children? Un- 
doubtedly it is, bat without prejudice to his soul. His family 
and children are of great consequence unto him, it is true; but 
his salvation is, and should appear of greater consequence in his 
eyes. Let them, therefore, be provided for, but without that 
anxiety and solicitude which manifestly absorb all his thoughts 
and all his time, and make him frequently unmindful of 
his duty to God, and the eternal concerns of his soul. Let 
God and his soul be his first and chief concern ; let every other 
lawful object be taken next into consideration. What can be 
more reasonable or more necessary than to provide for the 
necessities of life 1 Yet we read in the Gospel of this day, that 
our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, forbids us to be over 
anxious even on this head : " Be not solicitous," says he, " for 
your life, what to eat ; nor for your body, what to be clothed 
with. Behold the fowls of the air ; they sow not, neither do 
they reap ; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Consider 
the lilies of the field, how they grow: they labour not; yet not 
even Solomon in all his glory, was clothed like unto one of 
them. Now if God in this manner feeds the birds of the air, 
and clothes in this manner the grass, or flowers of the field, 
how much more will he feed and clothe you, you of 
little faith, who are much more valuable than the birds of the 
air, or the flowers of the field ! Seek, therefore, first the 
kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things will be 
given you besides." 

From this whole passage, Christians, two things appear 
evident ; the first, that there is an anxiety for the world 
which is criminal in the eyes of God, inasmuch as Christ 
Jesus forbids it : and the second, that Christ Jesus has 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 177 

promised to provide for those that seek the kingdom of God 
before all things. He may not indeed grant them what may 
be pleasing to, or deemed necessary for their vanity, ambition, 
or extravagance; but he certainly will grant them what is 
sufficient, proper, and consistent with their salvation. But 
when is our attachment to the world criminal. 1st — It is 
always criminal, when our application to the concerns of this 
life, or the advantages of the world, is so great as to make us 
overlook any essential duty of religion, the love and worship 
due to the Almighty God, and the charity and benevolence 
.due to our neighbour. 2nd — It is always criminal, when to 
purchase, increase; or preserve any interest or advantage of 
this world, we are disposed to transgress, or actually do trans- 
gress, any one material point of the law, or commit any one 
mortal sin ; because that in cases of this nature, it is plain, 
that the love of the world, and not the love of God, rules and 
presides in the heart. 

To conclude, let us convince ourselves of two essential 
points with regard to salvation; 1st — that it is impossible to 
serve God and the world ; 2nd — that in order to serve God, 
Ave must renounce the world in affection ; that is, disengage 
our hearts from the world, so as never to value its riches, its 
pleasures or its distinctions in any manner inconsistent with 
the law of God. If we love the world, we cannot love God 
above all things ; and if we do not love God above all things, 
we cannot fulfil his law ; for the love of God above all things 
is the first and greatest precept of the law ; and if we do not 
fulfil the law we can have no pretension to the kingdom of 
heaven. Let us therefore determine henceforward to love the 
Lord our God, and him alone. By doing so, we shall not only 
secure what may be necessary for this life, as Christ Jesus 
assures us, but likewise what is of infinitely more consequence 
— what is capable of making ample amends for any necessity 
we may labour under in this world — the joys and glory of the 
kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

What was it that moved to pity and compassion our Lord 
and Saviour, Jesus Christ, at the sight of the funeral proces- 
sion, mentioned in the Gospel of this day? Was it barely the 
excessive grief of a disconsolate mother and widow, bewailing 
the loss of an only son 1 No, Christians : a consideration of 

— .— V~ 



178 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



miseration of Christ Jesus. What seemed an object of pity- 
to him, was the imperfection he discovered in the grief and 
sorrow of this afflicted parent : too great an attachment to the 
person of an only son ; a visible want of submission to the 
wise-disposing decrees of Providence ; and likewise a want of 
faith, which made her consider death purely in a natural light, 
without any regard to futurity or the life to come. This is 
the only thing that could make that widow and parent appear 
worthy of compassion in the eyes of Christ Jesus. But are 
not the same imperfections discernible in the greater part of 
the Christians of our days'? How few are there who look 
upon death in the light of religion, either with regard to 
themselves or others ! The weakness and blindness of man are, 
undoubtedly, great upon every occasion ; but they never appear 
more so than in this particular, that is, with regard to death. 
The very idea of it is enough to frighten us. It is with reluc- 
tance we can think of it, nor can we speak of it but with concern r 
Death, indeed, is dreadful — but to whom? To sinners, who 
place their hearts and affections on this world, and make no 
difficulty to transgress the Divine laws upon every occasion, to 
procure or enjoy the pleasures or advantages of this life. To 
persons of this character death must certainly be terrifying in 
the highest degree, because it must be unto them the ending 
of all the happiness of this world, and the beginning of their 
eternal misery. But unto the just and the good — unto those 
who never placed their hearts or affections on this world, but 
always levelled their endeavours at the kingdom of God, death 
affords abundant matter of inward consolation and comfort ; 
as it is to them a passage to a better life, and the commence- 
ment of everlasting happiness. It becomes, therefore, incum- 
bent on us, Christians, to consider and reflect, seriously and 
frequently, on the situation of a sinner at the hour of his 
death, and compare it with that of a just man, and draw from 
thence such conclusions as may tend to the reformation of our 
lives and our improvement in virtue. 

The consideration of death has been always looked upon 
by the holy fathers and doctors of the Church, the divines 
and masters of a spiritual life, as the most effectual method of 
weaning our hearts from this world, and bending all our 
thoughts upon heavenly things. The frequent consideration 
of this subject we shall find, by experience, to be productive of 
the most hapj)y effects. 

The situation, then, of a sinner, at the hour of death, is 
undoubtedly, Christians, the most shocking and terrifying 
that ever was : for at that hour all things occur to awaken 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



179 



his fears for the past, to agitate and terrify him for the 
present, and to fill his soul with the liveliest apprehensions for 
the future. 

Nothing can be more dreadful to a dying sinner than the 
past ; as therein he sees a long and continued series of sins 
and iniquities — repeated transgressions of the Divine law, con- 
tinued omissions of the most essential duties of religion, a 
constant profanation of the most sacred means of salvation, 
the sacraments and sacrifice. Therein he will see a number of 
years, a Avhole life, spent in wicked ways and worldly pursuits, 
a total neglect of God and the things of God. Then his con- 
science will tell him aloud, that his only business upon earth 
was to honour and serve the Almighty God; and by honouring 
and serving Almighty God, sanctify his soul ; and by sancti- 
fying his soul, prepare the way for eternal happiness ; but 
that, instead of this, he had constantly neglected the service of 
God, sanctifying his soul, or making the least provision for the 
life to come. What impression must not a prospect of this 
kind make upon his mind ! Most certainly it will fill his 
soul with such fear and consternation as to make him cry 
out, with the sinner mentioned in Holy Writ, " My whole 
life has been a tissue of errors : I wearied myself in the ways 
of iniquity; and all that now remains is remorse, death, 
and a most dreadful expectation of the judgments of the 
Lord !" Oh ! how much better it were to have pursued the 
end of my creation — the service of my God and my "own sal- 
vation ! Now should I be free from those cruel terrors, and 
blest with the inward joys that attend a Christian life, and 
other solid hopes of eternal happiness. 

To the terrors that necessarily arise from the consciousness 
of a whole life being spent contrary to the views of God, and 
in open violation of his holy laws, let us add the grief and 
concern the dying sinner must feel upon the point of losing 
everything that was dear to him in life. For the more enjoy- 
ment a man has in the world, the more he must be attached 
thereunto ; and the more he is attached, the more he must be 
grieved at quitting it. Seeing therefore that a sinner has the 
greatest attachment to the world, wherein he finds all his 
comfort and delight, it is plain nothing can equal the concern 
he must be under upon the point of being deprived of all the 
pleasures and advantages he enjoyed in the world. Then will 
he say within his own breast, as the impious King Antiochus 
did upon a like occasion, " O cruel death, is it thus you 
separate and tear me away from everything that is pleasing, 
and endearing to mind or sense?" My wife, my family, 



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FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



my children, my riches, my pleasures, my possessions, my life, 
my all — I know what I quit, but whither shall I go 1 I leave 
this world, which was to me a world of pleasure ; but what 
shall be my fate in the world to come 1 Is it pleasure I am 
there to meet with, or eternal woe 1 If he looks up towards 
heaven, what does he behold 1 an angry God, an all-powerful 
God, ready to avenge upon his guilty head the manifold 
iniquities he had been guilty of. If he fixes his eyes upon 
the cross, the awful and comfortable sign of our redemption, 
what does he perceive 1 the image of a God made Man, and 
dying a most painful and ignominious death, for the salvation 
of mankind — whose sacred name he had constantly blas- 
phemed, whose Divine laws he had trampled on, whose exces- 
sive mercies he had constantly abused by his presumption and 
obstinacy in sin. If he carries his thoughts a little further 
into eternity, what object does he descry ? a gulph flaming 
with the wrath of God, destined for the eternal abode of all 
the enemies of God and the guilty transgressors of his laws. 

Behold truly, Christians, and conceive, if you can, any 
situation more dreadful than this of a sinner upon the point 
of death. But may not even the greatest sinner repent 
at the last hour 1 He may indeed ; but the proper question 
is, whether he will or generally does. Whether the repent- 
ance of a dying sinner be generally of such a nature as 
to make it agreeable unto God. ISTow it is the general 
opinion of all the doctors of the Church that it is not ; 
that it is even quite the reverse ; for true repentance 
necessarily implies the love of God above r all things, and a 
sincere disposition of sacrificing our dearest interests upon 
earth — our fortunes and our lives, rather than violate any one 
point of the law. And is this the spirit of a dying sinner % 
St. Austin says no : his repentance is grounded on fear alone. 
He fears to burn, St. Austin says, and not to sin. Were he 
assured there was no such place as hell, his mind would be 
quite composed. So that he has no more than the bare 
appearance of conversion, and, consequently, dies in his sins, 
in disgrace with Gocl, and the wretched victim of his eternal 
justice. 

The situation of the just man at this last and dreadful hour 
is very different, Christians, from that of the inveterate sinner. 
Neither the past, the present, or the time to come, can give 
him any great anxiety or disquietude of mind. If his memory 
recalls any transgressions of the Divine laws, they were trans- 
gressions owing more to the frailty of human nature than any 
premeditated malice ; transgressions he never erected into 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



181 



principle, or continued in, but rather detested as soon as com- 
mitted, deploring them in the bitterness of his heart, and at 
length effacing them with tears of sorrow in the tribunal of 
penance. As his heart was never placed in the world, he sees 
the world depart without struggle or concern. As he always 
desired the kingdom of God should come, he beholds that 
kingdom approach with comfort and delight. Frequently he 
wishes, with St. Paul, to see his exile abridged, his earthly 
frame dissolved, and his soul at liberty to fly to the enjoyment 
of his God. Although he fears the judgment of the Lord and 
his inflexible justice, he hopes still more in his infinite mercies: 
for be pleased to observe, that hope is a divine virtue, and a 
particular gift of God, which he never fails to bestow upon the 
just at their last hour ; because the exercise of this virtue 
becomes then more necessary than ever. It is, therefore, at 
the last hour that the Almighty God enlivens the hopes of a 
just man, and raises all his expectations to heaven, in and 
through the merits of Christ J esus ; and thereby banishes that 
fear, that anxiety, that horror, which is unto a dying sinner 
an anticipation of the everlasting torments of hell. 

Thus the just man dies, free from disquiet, full of hope in 
the merits of Christ Jesus, in peace with himself, in peace with 
mankind, in peace with his God. "Happy are those," the 
apostle says, " that die in the Lord." But which of these 
shall be our own fate 1 Shall we die the death of the just or 
the sinner % One thing is certain, that people generally die as 
they live : those that lead a just and virtuous life, die the 
death of the virtuous and just ; and those that lead a sinful 
life, die the death of sinners — miserable beyond expression. 
If, therefore, you mean to die as the just do, you must live as 
they do ; that is, you must die to the world, disengage your 
hearts from every unlawful pleasure, every unlawful interest or 
advantage of the world. You must likewise die to your 
passions, or sinful appetites, and live to God by observing 
faithfully his holy laws. 

If you do this, the Almighty God will raise you up at the 
last day, not to a mortal or perishable life, as he did the 
widow's son in the Gospel this day, but to immortal life, a life 
which is never to have an end, and to be crowned with eternal 
felicity in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



182 



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

We are informed, Christians, by this day's Gospel, that our 
Lord and Saviour, J esus Christ, having entered the house of a 
certain prince of the Pharisees, to eat bread, on the sabbath- 
day, he there met a man ill of the dropsy ; upon which our 
Saviour asked the Pharisees " was it lawful to heal on the 
sabbath- clay." But they held their peace. Our Saviour then 

took hold of the sick man, healed him, and sent him away ■ " 
then addressing the Pharisees, he said, " Which of you, should 
his ox or his ass fall into a pit, will not presently draw him out 
on [the sabbath-day 1 " Our Saviour knowing perfectly well 
the malicious intention of the Pharisees, who watched him, 
and only wanted an opportunity of censuring his conduct, he 
was resolved to prevent an attempt of the kind, by showing 
what they themselves would do in a case of necessity, wherein 
their temporal interests alone were concerned, on the sabbath- 
day ; whence it was easy to conclude that if they deemed it 
lawful to withdraw their ox or their ass out of a pit on the 
sabbath-day, it must be extremely lawful, and no way censur- 
able, to restore a sick man, one of the children of Israel, to 
health, even on the sabbath-day. However, upon the whole, 
it appears how strictly observant the Jews were in general of 
the sabbath-day ; nor was this any way surprising, since the 
observance of the sabbath was one of the material points of 
the law, and enforced under the severest penalties. The 
sabbath is a subject, Christians, of the most weighty consi- 
deration, to examine its obligation and the manner of fulfilling 
it, and afterwards to behold some of its abuses. 

" Remember to keep holy the sabbath-day," was one of the 
commands delivered to Moses by the mouth of God, amidst 
fire and thunder, upon Mount Sinai ; " all servile work thou 
shalt not do therein ; " and the punishment inflicted by the 
law on transgressors of this command, was no less than death. 
For the Lord says, in the thirty-first chapter of Deuterononry 
— " The seventh day shall be holy unto you : it is the sabbath 
and repose of the Lord : he that shall work thereon shall be 
put to death." The sabbath was so strictly and religiously 
observed by the J ews, that it was not lawful even to gather 
the manna that day in the desert. This sabbath, which was 
so religiously kept, was instituted in honour and memory of 
the creation, and, consequently, of all the blessings that are 
derived from the creation unto mankind : for the Scripture 
tells us that " the Almighty, after creating the heavens and 
the earth, and all they contain, during six days, rested on the 



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



183 



seventh day, and sanctified it." It was further instituted as a 
memorial of the alliance Almighty G-od had made with his 
chosen people : for the Lord says, " Let the children of Israel 
keep the Sabbath, and solemnize it, from generation to 
generation : it is an everlasting covenant between me and the 
children of Israel, and a sign that shall last for ever." — ■ 
Exod. chap. 31. The Sabbath-day, or day of rest, for the 
word sabbath signifies rest, was kept on Saturday among the 
Jews j but amongst us, Christians, it is kept on the following- 
day, or Sunday, from the appointment of the apostles, who 
thought proper to solemnize this day in preference to the 
Jewish Sabbath, first — in honour of the resurrection of our 
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who on that day arose from 
the dead ; and secondly — in memory and in honour of the 
descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles, which happened 
on a Sunday. St. Luke tells us, in the Acts of the Apostles, 
that the primitive Christians used to meet on the first day 
after the sabbath to partake of the Holy Eucharist, and assist 
at the dissertations of St. Paul upon religious subjects ; so 
that you see, Christians, that the Sunday was solemnized by 
the apostles and their immediate disciples. Although the 
sabbath has been transferred in the New Law, yet the obliga- 
tions are the same as in the Old Law ; that is, we are obliged 
in the New Law to refrain from all servile work on this day, and 
keep it holy unto the Lord. This obligation is also grounded 
on the light of reason, and the very first dictates of the law of 
nature, which point out to every man, within his own breast, 
that, as a dependent creature, he is bound to acknowledge, 
venerate, and adore the supreme power of his Maker, and the 
many favours he received from his bountiful hand. The light 
of reason, it is true, doth not point out the time of paying 
these indispensible duties of religion unto the Almighty God : 
No : this it leaves undetermined. Wherefore the Almighty 
was pleased, in the Old Law, to fix and determine a certain time 
for that purpose : so that the command of keeping holy the 
sabbath-day is no more than an outward determination of the 
inward law of nature. 

The manner of keeping holy, or sanctifying this day unto 
the Lord is, first — by refraining from all servile work, " Six 
days shalt thou labour, and work, and do all that thou hast to 
do," saith the Lord; "but the seventh day is the sabbath of 
the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work therein." 
Secondly — by consecrating this day, in a most particular 
manner, to the exercise of religion. "What can be more just or 
reasonable, Christians, than after spending six days in the care 



184 



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



of worldly business and affairs, to employ one day in the week 
to the service of the Almighty God"? For this purpose, the 
Church of Christ commands all the faithful in general to assist 
every Sunday at the sacrifice of the altar ; because this is the 
most perfect worship we can pay the Almighty God. Besides, 
the Church requires, though not so rigorously, that the faithful 
assist, on the Lord's day, at the public prayers and instruc- 
tions which are offered u]i and delivered publicly on this day 
more than any other of the week, all over the Christian world. 
Should we omit assisting at the sacrifice of the altar on the 
Lord's day, we commit a grievous sin ; because we not only 
refuse paying unto the Almighty God the worship and adora- 
tion due to him, but likewise disobey a particular command 
of the Church. Should we also neglect the public prayers 
and instructions of this day, we deprive ourselves of a great 
many graces and spiritual blessings : inasmuch as it cannot be 
questioned, but that the Almighty is more inclined to show 
mercy unto his people when he sees them assembled in his 
name, than upon any other less important occasion. 

Nevertheless, Christians, can anything be more common, 
to the eternal shame of Christianity, than to see the Lord's 
day profaned in the most criminal and sacrilegious manner % 
How many violate and abuse this sacred day, by servile works 
and worldly occupations ! How many refuse to sanctify it by 
the commanded works of religion ! How many convert it 
into a day of dissipation — a clay of rioting and dissoluteness ! 
Such as behave somewhat like Christians the rest of the week, 
frequently behave like Pagans, and worse than Pagans, on the 
Lord's day, by spending it in idleness, drunkenness, and de- 
bauchery. And in this particular (I say it, Christians, with 
the utmost sorrow and confusion) many of our Catholics sur- 
pass, in this country, the rest of mankind ; as they seem to 
pass less regard to the Lord's day than any other set of people 
whatsoever. One should really think they only wish to see 
the days allotted for labour at an end, to be the more at liberty 
to insult the Almighty God, by profaning the day he was 
pleased to appoint most particularly for his own service and 
worship. Is there hardly a tradesman that does not employ 
the Lord's day in squandering away, in drunkenness and 
debauchery, the greater part of what he had earned by 
his labour the foregoing week 1 ? Now, conduct of this 
kind plainly implies three grievous sins and transgressions : 
three grievous sins — mind this. The first is a sin of intem- 
perance ; the second a sin of injustice towards his wife and 
children, whom he is in conscience obliged to provide for, but 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



185 



whom lie often deprives, by his dissipation, of their necessary 
subsistence : the third a sin of impiety towards God, in not 
sanctifying the day he hath appointed for his own honour 
and worship. Others that are occupied in business, make no 
difficulty in buying and selling on the Lord's day, as much as 
any other day in the week, which is a manifest violation of 
the sabbath. Even those that seem to possess more of the 
fear of God than others, are frequently guilty of violating the 
sabbath, though not in so flagrant a manner ; for although 
they assist in the sacrifice of the altar, it is without a spirit of 
attention, a spirit of adoration, a spirit of religion ; it is with 
the utmost dissipation and distraction. How criminal must 
it not be to behave in this manner ; and what heavy punish- 
ments must it not draw down from heaven iipon their guilty 
heads ? 

In order, therefore, to reclaim, let every one pay a due regard 
to the Lord's day, not only by refraining from all servile 
works, but likewise by employing it in the exercise of religion, 
the worship of God, deploring the many sins and transgres- 
sions of the week, and forming strong and inviolable resolu- 
tions of amendment for the time to come. Let every Christian 
parent see that their children apply particularly, on the Lord's 
day, to prayer and reading such books of piety as are capable 
of informing their minds, and improving their morals, in the 
essential duties of religion. In a word, let every master and 
mistress see that their servants, and every individual in their 
care, apply, on the Lord's day, to the worship of God and the 
sanctification of their souls. By this means, after celebrating 
upon earth the rest of the Lord, in a spirit of religion, you 
will certainly be admitted one day into the mansions of eternal 
rest, along with the blessed in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

As the love of God, Christians, is the very first command or 
precept of the law, according to the declaration of Christ 
Jesus, it is a matter of the first consequence to us to know, 
1st — how far this divine law is necessary towards salvation; 
and 2ndly — what it consists in. 

It is a settled point of Christian morality, that any man 
that hath not the love of God, can have no pretensions to the 
kingdom of heaven. For the kingdom of heaven is a reward 
which Almighty God has promised, through Christ Jesus, to 
all those who fulfil his law. Now, as it is the first and greatest 

N 



186 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



command of the law to love God with all our hearts, with all 
our souls, and with all our might, it is plain if any man doth 
not love God, he falls short in the accomplishment of the law, 
and consequently can have no right to the reward of eternal 
happiness. For this reason, the apostle says, " Any man that 
doth not love God, abideth in death ; " that is, he is dead to 
the grace of God, dead to the rewards of God, dead to all 
hopes of everlasting happiness, and doomed, in a word, to 
everlasting death. Nothing, therefore, can be more indispen- 
sable towards salvation than the love of God, as appears not 
only from what St. Paul has said, but more especially from 
the positive command of Christ J esus, in the Gospel this day : 
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, 
with thy whole soul, and with thy whole might ; " thou shalt 
love him in preference to, and beyond anything in heaven or 
on earth — beyond wealth, or power, or pleasure — love him for 
his own sake alone, on account of his adorable perfections, 
and on account of the unspeakable blessings he has poured 
forth on mankind in general, and each one of you in particu- 
lar. Thus are we obliged to love the Lord, with all the 
powers of our souls, and all the faculties of our bodies. 
Miserable, indeed, must be our unhappy nature, to require a 
precept to love thee, my God, who art the fountain of love, 
whose love constitutes the joy of the blessed ! But let us 
examine, Christians, how far we have discharged this duty 
hitherto. Can we with any truth or sincerity say, that we 
have hitherto loved the Almighty God, or that we love him 
even at present above all things 1 I fear very much there is 
nothing we have been so deficient in. Instead of loving God 
as we ought to have done, is it not the world, its advantages, 
its pleasures, its follies, its vanities, we have loved — and loved 
to distraction 1 Can anything be more criminal than to be 
continual] y breaking and infringing the first and greatest 
precept of the law % Anything more unreasonable than to 
be continually prostituting to vile and perishable creatures 
the love and affection due to the great God alone ? We 
are all created for no other end than to love and serve 
the Almighty God, from whom alone we received all that 
we possess, all that we are. From God alone we can 
receive grace in this life, and eternal happiness in the next ; 
and yet we have loved everything besides this God. It 
remains, therefore, Christians, that we humble ourselves 
in the presence of this Almighty, good, and amiable God ; 
acknowledge our past errors, deplore them in the bitterness of 
our souls, and begin at last to turn all our affections towards 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



187 



that Almighty Being, in whom they should have been in- 
variably centred and fixed. Did you but conceive the virtue 
and excellence of the love of God, you certainly would use all 
your endeavours to attain it. One act of the love of God 
above all things is so excellent, divines say, and the doctors 
of the Church, that it is capable of blotting out the greatest 
sins, and consequently of reconciling the greatest sinners unto 
the Lord. This wonderful effect of divine love is grounded 
on these words of our Saviour : " If any one love me, he shall 
be loved by my Father, and we will both come and dwell in 
him." Whoever, therefore, loves God, must be loved by him, 
and consequently must appear both righteous and agreeable 
in his eyes, which could not be the case if the love of God did 
not efface all his sins and transgressions. From a knowledge 
of these effects, divines and masters of a spiritual life are 
constantly advising and exhorting the faithful to excite as 
many acts of the love of God as they possibly can, in the hope 
that one or other of them may be perfect ; for if any one of 
them should prove perfect, they are infallibly justified thereby. 

This love, which thus justifies the greatest sinners in the 
eyes of God, consists of two parts — the love of preference, and 
the love of benevolence or complacency. 

The love of preference consists in loving God above all 
things, and preferring him before all things in heaven or 
earth. For as God is infinitely great and good, he requires 
that we love him in a manner worthy his infinite greatness 
and goodness : this we can never do, but by loving him more 
than the whole world besides. If, therefore, Christians, you 
truly love God, you must love him, as I have said, beyond all 
the honours, riches, or pleasures of this life — beyond all his 
works — beyond life itself ; for our Saviour says in the Gospel, 
" If any one will love father or mother, brother or sister, nay, 
his very life more than me, he is not worthy to be called my 
disciple." But when have we an opportunity of testifying 
this love or preference unto the Almighty God 1 As often as 
the observation of his law or commandments comes in ques- 
tion — for our Saviour says in the Gospel, " He that loveth me, 
is he that keepeth my commandments ; " and again, " If any 
one will love me, he will keep my commandments." There- 
fore, Christians, keeping the commandments and fulfilling the 
law, is the distinguishing mark or characteristic of the love of 
preference we owe unto the Almighty God. If you would 
fain know whether you possess the love of God required by 
Christ, or not, see how you behave with regard to the law. 
For instance, an opportunity offers of vastly increasing your 



188 SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

fortune ; but the means are sinful ; if you love God, above all 
things, as you are bound to do, you will renounce the prospect 
of gain, and prefer the fidelity you owe to God to all the 
advantages of this world. From your situation in life you. 
may frequently fall into company that are disposed to run 
into excess, or entertain themselves with lewd subjects or 
obscene discourses ; then if you love God above all things, as 
you are obliged to do, you will refuse complying with their 
humour, and prefer the fidelity you owe to God, to the 
criminal ways and complaisance of this world. A man has 
injured you severely : it is in your power to revenge yourself 
upon him in the completest manner ; if you love God above 
all things, as Christ Jesus directs you to do, you will prefer 
his love and the fidelity you owe him and his command, to 
the revenge you have it in your power to obtain. In a word, 
were your life at stake, and that it were in your power to 
preserve it, by one single mortal sin, you are obliged, from the 
love of preference you owe the Almighty God, to lay down 
your very life, rather than .transgress his holy laws. This is 
what St. Paul signifies, when he " defies the whole creation to 
extinguish the love of God within him." This is what he sets 
forth, when he assures us, that " no hardships or sufferings 
no danger or persecution, nor even death with all its terrors, 
should ever separate him from the love of Christ." Where, 
O where, Christians, are these heroic but necessary senti- 
ments to be found 1 Who is the man, whose conduct shows 
that he has the love of God in his heart 1 One thing is most 
certain in the principles of religion, that any man who has 
not the love of God in him, that love of preference, which sets 
the Almighty God and the fidelity due to his laws above all 
the considerations of this world, has no share in Christ ; but, 
on the contrary, lives every moment of his life before God in 
a state of eternal reprobation. 

Besides this love of preference, there is another love we are 
obliged to have for Almighty God, which is a love of benevo- 
lence or complacency ; that is, we are obliged not only to love 
God above all things, but likewise for his own sake, with a 
pure and disinterested love. The divine law commands and 
orders us to love God with our whole heart, with our whole 
soul, with our whole mind. Therefore, as thoughts and 
affections can reach, dwell upon, and adhere to the infinite 
perfections of Almighty God, considered purely in themselves, 
it follows we are obliged to do it in consequence of the law. 
But when, and how often ] This is one of the nicest] points of 
our holy religion, the clearing up of which has exercised the 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 189 

talents of the most learned divines in Europe for upwards of 
a century. This much at least may be depended on, 1st, 
that we are obliged in consciencec to produce acts of this 
pure and disinterested love, immediately after our attaining 
to the use of reason ; 2nd, that we are obliged to produce them, 
frequently in the course of life ; and 3rd, that we are most 
particularly obliged to produce an act of pure and disinterested 
love at the hour of our death. It is lawful, it must be owned, 
to love God on account of the happiness he has prepared for 
us in the life to come : for a devout soul may serve God, like 
King David, on an account of the reward, but that is only a 
secondary motive. If it glances at itself and wishes its own 
happiness, it wishes still more the glory and the accomplish- 
ment of God's holy will. It does not exclude its own interest ; 
it cannot even exclude it, because it places its happiness in 
the possession of God, its beloved object ; but it does not 
establish its principal end in this possession, inasmuch as it 
renders itself happy. It establishes it in the glory which 
results from it to God, and in his good pleasure which is 
everything to it. To conclude, let the obligation dwell strong 
in your minds, of making frequent and fervent acts of divine 
love, at least every day, in the morning and at night. It is 
not necessary they should be long or learned. You may say 
with King David, " I love you, O my God ! my strength and 
my refuge." I love you from my heart, not because you can 
make me happy or miserable, but because you are my God 
and my All. Or with the great St. Augustine, " Too late I 
began to love you, O my God ! but now that I know you, I 
know my obligation, I love you with all my heart, and will 
love you evermore." If we do, the Lord God will love us, and 
not only love but show us one day how much he loves us, in 
the mansions of his immortal kingdom. Amen. 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Scribes, mentioned in this day's Gospel, (St. Matth., ninth 
chapter) were writers or notaries among the J ews. Of these 
some were employed in civil matters alone, such as registering 
marriage contracts, and other public deeds ; others among 
them were employed in spiritual occupations, such as the care 
of preserving the holy books or scriptures, and expounding 
them unto the people. The Scribes as well as the Pharisees, 
had often been reproached by our Saviour for their hypocrisy, 
and for merely adhering to the letter and not entering into 



190 EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

the spirit of the laws they expounded. They professed the 
minutest nicety in their external observances, and affected to 
be scandalized at the most innocent actions of Jesus Christ. 
They beheld with pain the success that attended his preach- 
ing, and watched every opportunity that seemed favourable to 
their invidious designs, to slander his reputation, and destroy 
his credit amongst the people. Every word, every action of 
his they observed, not to partake of this heavenly doctrine that 
flowed from all his words and actions, but to catch him at 
some unwary moment, and take occasion from thence to cry 
down his mission. Some of the Scribes and Pharisees being 
present at Capharnaum, when Christ Jesus said to the 
paralytic, mentioned in the Gospel of this clay, " Thy sins are 
forgiven thee," were greatly scandalized thereat, and secretly 
constructed these words into blasphemy, as expressing a power 
in man which belonged solely to God. Wherefore Jesus 
Christ, to show them that he was both God and Man, and 
that their most secret thoughts were as perfectly known to 
him as if they had been declared by word of mouth, suddenly 
asked them, if it were not as easy for him to tell the paralytic 
that his sins were forgiven him, as to bid him rise from his bed 
and walk. And to convince them that he had the power of 
doing both one and the other, he said to the paralytic : 
" Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." The paralytic rose, and 
the spectators, full of admiration at the miracle, returned 
thanks to God, who had given such power to man. It is true 
indeed that God alone hath power of himself to forgive sins, 
but Christ Jesus, who is both God and Man, could, and did 
communicate this power of forgiving sins, in his name and by 
his authority, to his delegates in the sacred ministry. We 
have Christ's own words for it, St. John, xx., 23. " Whose sins 
you shall forgive, they are forgiven them." How great, my 
brethren, must the astonishment and confusion of the Scribes 
and Pharisees have been, when they behold the very person 
they just now accused of blasphemy, curing the sick man of 
his palsy, and restoring him to the most perfect health. Then 
they perceived, or might have perceived, that Christ Jesus 
had an undoubted power of remitting sin, and consequently 
must have been the Redeemer, promised unto Israel, since he 
wrought before their eyes the most surprising miracles in con- 
firmation of his divine authority and mission. But those 
carnal men, led away by the objects of sense, could not discover 
in the meek and humble Jesus that Messiah whom they ex- 
pected as a mighty warrior seated on the throne of David. In 
like manner, Christians, there are some persons, so blinded by 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



191 



their obstinacy and malice, as not to discern the clearest 
light of heaven : no evidence will remove their obstinacy ; 
no conviction satisfy their malice. To them we may apply 
the words of the royal prophet, "They have eyes and see not, 
ears and hear not." However, the crowd who were looking on, 
and whose hearts were not influenced, or overruled by any in- 
ordinate passion, took immediate notice of the miracle, " and 
gave glory unto God, who had given such power unto men." 
Amidst the general acclamations of the crowd, what must have 
been the sentiments of the sick man himself, who, after being 
dead in some measure for many years, and confined to a bed 
of sufferings, destitute of strength, motion, or consolation, was 
in one single moment restored to life and vigour by Christ 
Jesus, so as to be able to walk with liberty, and enjoy all the 
blessings and heartfelt joys of the most confirmed health! In 
what transports must he have expressed his gratitude to his 
divine deliverer ! 

This is the substance of the Gospel of this day — but in 
the moral resulting from it, the holy fathers and doctors of 
the Church discover a genuine picture of a person languishing 
in a state of mortal sin, deprived of the grace and friendship 
of God. As the palsy not only deprives a man of the use of 
his limbs, but moreover reduces him to the most miserable 
state of infirmity and weakness, unable to help himself, or 
scarce call for help to others, so sin strips us of spiritual 
health, and reduces us to a situation of all others the most 
miserable. The conduct of this sick man contains a fine 
lesson for the imitation of Christians, who lose the grace of 
God by sin, to apply to Christ Jesus in the sacrament of 
penance for a cure ; but as I mean to treat that important 
subject more fully hereafter, for the present I shall say but 
a few words, in j pointing your attention to the desire, the 
fervent, animated, warm desire which this paralytic felt of 
being restored to health, and of the means employed to attain 
that end. Totally deprived of all bodily action by his infir- 
mities, he knew and he felt his miseries. Observe here 
the foundation of his cure, in the knowledge of his com- 
plaint. The knowledge of our spiritual infirmities con- 
stitutes also the foundation of our cure, and is the first 
striking inference we are to draw from the Gospel of this day. 
The second is equally obvious and striking. In vain had the 
sick man tried all the power of medicine, and all the aid of 
art. Art and medicine were lost in the magnitude of his 
complaint ; and his cure was reserved for the manifestation 
of the glory of God, and the divinity of his adorable Son, 



192 EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Christ Jesus our Lord. Our Saviour returning to Caphar- 
naum, where the sick man lived, the fame of his miracles 
having gone before him, this sick man, from an ardent desire of 
health and strong faith in the power and charity of our Lord, 
caused himself to be brought in his litter or bed to the house 
where Christ Jesus then was. This desire of a cure forms the 
second grand point worthy your observation : observe how 
vehement it must be, and how ingenious in striking out new 
and unheard of contrivances. He cannot go, and therefore 
orders himself to be carried, bed and all, to the .great Master 
of life and death. When he arrived at the house, the crowd 
obstructed all entrance by the door. This disappointment, far 
from checking his ardour, only suggested new contrivances. At 
the other end of the house approaches were made to the roof ; 
the roof was uncovered, and the paralytic was hoisted up, and 
let down into the room before our blessed Saviour's feet. The 
sick man did not reflect that if he fell, he would lose his life, 
and perhaps kill others. No ; his desires were too vehement 
for delay, and his faith too strong to behold danger. Those 
fervent desires, this strong faith, form the next grand object 
for your example and imitation : let them animate you truly 
and sincerely, and I promise unto you, on the part of Almighty 
God, the same benefits the sick man received — immediate and 
perfect health : " Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy 
house." 

"What happened in those days at Capharnaum, daily 
happens among Christians in our days. We become spiritually 
sick, and disabled from all the functions of spiritual life, 
as often as we commit any grievous sin. What the palsy is 
to the body, sin is to the soul ; it j^lants a thorn in the mind, 
the thorn of conscience, and happy are they who feel its stings, 
as the paralytic man did his complaints. To feel and know the 
evil of sin, which of all evils is the greatest, generally leads the 
way to a deliverance from it, by raising such fervent and effec- 
tual desires as I have been just speaking of; for no man can 
feel the pressure of great weight, or the anguish of great pain, 
without wishing to be delivered therefrom : nor the want of 
a great good without desiring the possession thereof. Happy, 
I say, are all those who pursue and expel the evil of sin which 
oppresses their souls, with the same fervour they do the sensi- 
ble evils of this world. But unhappily there are but few who 
imitate the conduct of the sick man in the Gospel, who feel 
unhappy and miserable under the pressure of sin, and the loss 
of God's grace, as he did under the pressure of infirmity and 
the loss of health. The power of causing that miracle of 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



193 



grace — the spiritual resurrection from sin to the life of virtue, 
is always to be found in the Church established by Christ 
Jesus, which power he specially confirmed unto her on the 
day of his glorious resurrection. All you, therefore, Christians, 
who feel oppressed by sin, come and partake of the remedy which 
the ministers of Christ have deposited in their hands for your 
benefit. Do not be led astray nor kept back by a fatal 
insensibility. Remove the veil which the false seductions of 
the world draws over your sins. Seek the Lord, and return to 
him whilst he may be found — whilst it is yet day, lest night 
come on when no man can work. The eternal word of God 
speaks to you, from the Gospel, and tenderly invites you to 
ease and happiness, " All you that are weary and oppressed, 
come to me." Throw your cares and your burthens on the 
Lord ; throw your sins at his feet, and he will cover them by 
the drops which fell from the cross. But beware of neglect- 
ing this call of his mercy. Beware, lest it might be the last 
call which Christ Jesus may give you ; for great as he is 
in mercy, equally great is he to execute justice without 
mercy upon those who reject his tender calls and invi- 
tations. 

The Church this day invites you all, by the example of the 
sick man, to apply to Christ Jesus in the tribunal of penance, 
for a cure for all your spiritual infirmities. Sinners oppressed 
and borne down by their crimes, and not saints, he invites 
thither, because by them he wishes to show the riches of his 
mercies. Suffering on a bed of pain, and languishing in a 
palsy, the sick man is brought to Christ Jesus, and, by one 
word of his divine power, is restored to health. Let every one, 
therefore, who labours under a paralytic disorder of the soul, 
that is, an habitual state of sin, go and present himself before 
the Lord, who is the divine, all-powerful Physician of the soul. 
In his hands are life and death. One or other he can dispense 
and dispose of at will ; for he is the Lamb that taketh away 
the sins of the world. Truly he says of himself, " I am the 
resurrection and the life." This life he desires to impart ; go, 
therefore, and present yourself frequently before him, with an 
inward sense of your misery, and sincere sorrow for your sins, 
with an earnest desire of amendment, and a firm purpose of 
sinning no more. If you do this, you certainly will perceive 
within yourselves, by the inward inspirations of divine grace, 
the pleasing and comfortable word which Christ Jesus said unto 
the sick man, Arise from the slavery of sin to the liberty of the 
children of God. Arise from the lethargy and insensibility 
you were in, and awake to justice, to the spirit and activity of 



194 



NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



life. Arise, come forth from the shades of death, and walk 
hereafter in the full blaze of a godly life, and the shining hopes 
of eternal happiness in the kingdom of heaven ! Amen. 



NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Nothing can be more instructive, Christians, or more improv- 
ing, than the parable mentioned in the Gospel of this day, as it 
contains, in reality, an abridgment of religion, the merciful 
views of God with regard to mankind, the means he employs 
to compass his designs, the perverseness of man in refusing to 
comply with his bountiful intentions, and lastly, the dreadful 
punishments he inflicts on all those who prove disobedient or 
refractory to his will. 

The marriage feast mentioned in the Gospel is a figure, the 
holy fathers say, of the kingdom of heaven. The being that 
prepared it is Christ Jesus, the eternal, co-eternal God, by 
whom and through whom alone, mankind can attain eternal 
happiness. Those that are called to the marriage feast, all 
the nations upon the earth, who are invited to the kingdom of 
heaven, by believing in Christ and fulfilling his holy laws. 
The servants that were employed in calling them, are the pro- 
phets, the apostles — in a word, the ministers of Christ, who 
are particularly authorised and commissioned to preach the 
faith of Christ, and publish to the world the eternal happiness 
which is to be obtained in his name ; that is, through the 
merits of his passion and the observance of his holy laws. 
Amongst those who were called to the marriage feast, many 
refused to come ; hereby are meant those who refuse believing 
in Christ, and submitting to his laws ; such were the Jews, in 
the first place, and next all those who, after hearing, receiving, 
and professing the saving faith of Christ, do not live agree- 
ably thereto. In the room of those who refused to come after 
being invited, others were substituted — thus the Gentiles have 
been brought in and called to the faith of Christ, after the 
Jews were rejected and reproved for their obstinacy and 
malice. Christ Jesus declares, in the Gospel, that "he was 
particularly sent by his Heavenly Father to those that had 
gone astray out of the house of Israel." The Jews were the 
children of the promise, being the posterity of Abraham, to 
whom the promises were made, that God would take him 
and his descendants under his protection, and that the 
Messiah should be born of his race : the faith was therefore 
first preached unto them. But this great and inestimable 



NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



195 



blessing being rejected by the Jews, it was transferred unto 
the nations, or Gentiles ; so that the call of the nations, or their 
conversion, was grounded on the reprobation of the Jews. 
" The Jews," St. Paul says, " were the natural olive tree, 
and the nations the wild olive. But the wild olive has been 
grafted on the former," the apostle says, " by a wonderful 
effect of the bounty and mercy of God ; " or, in other words, 
we have been in reality substituted in the place of those who 
refused to come to the marriage feast. 

The first thing, therefore, Christians, that we should do 
upon the present occasion is, to consider that each of us in 
particular has been called, by a particular blessing, to the 
kingdom of heaven; of which the marriage feast, this day, is a 
genuine and lively picture. But what return have we made 
Almighty God for so inestimable a favour 1 Have we ever 
mentioned it in the presence of the Lord 1 ever made it the 
subject of our praise or thanksgiving] The Almighty God 
was under no necessity or obligation of enlightening us with 
the light of Christ, and thereby informing us of the eternal 
happiness that is reserved in the life to come for all those who 
believe in Christ and fulfil his holy laws. ISTo. He could 
have left us, like thousands of others, in darkness, error, and 
infidelity, to the very last moment of our lives ; but " he has 
been most graciously and most mercifully pleased to transfer 
us from darkness," St. Peter says, " to the admirable light of 
the Gospel," which is the greatest of blessings. How much 
happier is our situation than that of nations born in idolatry, 
who never heard, at least many of them, of the all-saving 
name of Christ. From the ignorance they are born in, unac- 
quainted as they are with the light of faith, the way to 
heaven, and destitute of the many powerful graces which are 
conferred by the holy sacraments, very slender indeed are 
their prospects of attaining to life everlasting. Such must 
have been our condition, if Almighty God, out of his pure 
mercy, had not granted us the light of faith, even from our 
infancy. Let us, therefore, " ever bless and magnify the 
name of the Lord, who has dealt with us more mercifully," as 
the prophet says, "than with other nations." "Heaven and 
earth praise ye the Lord ; let all the works of the Lord praise 
the Lord. Bless the Lord, my soul, and let all that is 
within me praise his holy name ! " 

Many of those who were called to the marriage feast, refused 
to go, on account of their worldly affairs : so amongst those 
that are called to the kingdom of heaven, there are many 
that refuse the heavenly call or invitation. For although 



!96 



NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



they know that heaven is the reward, the great and glorious 
reward, promised to all those that shall serve the Almighty 
God and keep his commandments ; yet the love of the world 
is so prevalent in their hearts, as to occupy and absorb all 
their time, all their thoughts and affections. " One is taken 
up," the Gospel says, " with farming ; another with merchan- 
dise," some with one thing, some with another ; all are too 
busy to answer the call of God. Their worldly cares and 
occupations render them deaf to the divine call and invitation; 
deaf to the ministers of the Gospel, who, on the part of Christ 
J esus, invite you all to the marriage feast — invite you to do 
and perform what is requisite in order to attain to the king- 
dom of heaven. But, Christians, can anything be more silly, 
more stupid, or more criminal, than to" prefer the calls of 
momentary, passing interest, to the voice of heaven ; the frail 
and perishable riches of this world, to the pure, full, and 
everlasting joys of the kingdom of heaven? The Almighty 
God invites us, in the Gospel this day, and also by his 
apostles and pastors, to prefer his pure and lasting joys to the 
perishable joys of this world. The condition on which they 
are to be obtained is the observance of his holy laws. He 
grants us his grace in abundance to enable us to perform this 
necessary condition, yet there are thousands so blind to their 
interest as to reject the generous and bountiful offers of 
Almighty God, and prefer the empty and short-lived enjoy- 
ments of this world to all the treasures of the kingdom of 
heaven. Remember what Christ says, and let it sink deep in 
your souls : " What will it avail a man to gain the whole 
world, if he should lose his soul ? " the loss and perdition of 
which must be the inevitable consequence of not answering 
the divine call — of not doing and fulfilling what God requires 
at our hands, in order to obtain life everlasting. How was it 
the great and powerful king, mentioned in this day's Gospel, 
behaved towards a man who went to the nuptial feast without 
the nuptial robe ? He ordered him to be seized upon by his 
servants, to have his hands and feet bound, and then to be 
cast into outer darkness, where there shall be eternal weeping 
and gnashing of teeth ! 

Thus it is every one will be treated who presents himself 
at the tribunal of God without the bright ornament of grace 
and good works, which alone can entitle him to a seat at the 
marriage feast — the possession of the kingdom of heaven. 
Sooner or later we are all to appear in turn before this dread 
tribunal of God ; but in what condition ] Shall it be by day 
or by night 1 in winter or summer 1 this year or next 1 to-day 



TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



197 



or to-morrow 1 Shall it be with or without the nuptial robe 1 
(upon that your eternal lot depends) — in grace or favour with 
God? — entitled to the joys and glory of heaven, or doomed 
miserable "Victims to the everlasting torments of hell ? One 
thing is certain, that nothing but virtue, and justice, and 
godliness can gain admittance to the kingdom of heaven. 
" Many are called," Christ says, " but few are chosen." We 
are all called, inasmuch as we have been baptized and instructed 
in the faith of Christ ; but are we of the number of the chosen 
few 1 This we cannot know. But we know with the utmost 
certainty, that it is in the power of every one of you to be of 
the number of the chosen. How 1 ? "By making good your 
vocation," as St. Peter says, " to the faith of Christ, by good 
works." For none but the chosen are admitted to the kingdom 
of God ; and none are admitted to the kingdom of God but such 
as fulfil the law ; and none but those who fulfil the law are 
certainly of the number of the chosen. 

If, therefore, after being called to the faith of Christ we 
fulfil his holy law; that is, if we believe all that he has 
revealed, and practise all he has enjoined — there is no doubt 
but we will be of the number of the chosen, and consequently 
admitted one day to share in that bliss, whereof the marriage 
feast this day is but a slight figure — the joys and glory of the 
kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTEH PENTECOST. 

Galilee was a little province contiguous to Judea, which 
gave our blessed Lord and Redeemer an opportunity of mak- 
ing frequent incursions into it. During one of these incursions 
a petty king or nobleman, whose son lay ill at Capharnaum', 
upon the point of death, applied to our Saviour to go down 
along with him, and cure his son. Having heard the wonder- 
ful things our Saviour had already done in Judea, he doubted 
not but he could restore his son to life, even in the dyino- state 
in which he was ; and if he did, he would be satisfied within 
himself of his divine mission and authority. He was also 
confident his request would be granted, from the rank 
and consequence he held in the country, being a petty 
king. But our Saviour, who paid no respect to persons, nor 
regarded human distinctions, instead of readily grantino- his 
request as he expected, rebuked him, on the contrary, saying, 
"Ye do not believe, except ye see signs and prodigies." The 
nobleman, however, renewed his request with great humility, 



198 



TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



calling our Saviour " Lord and Master," and entreating him 
to go down along with him, before his son would die. On 
seeing this, our Saviour was pleased to comply in part with his 
request, by miraculously curing his son ; but would not go 
down along with him, in order to lower the high opinion this 
king had of his own greatness or distinction, or to cure a secret 
diffidence he seemed to entertain of the power of Christ. For, 
by insisting so strenuously our Saviour should go, one would 
imagine he suspected Christ Jesus could not cure his son, unless 
he was present. But our Saviour, to show him that his power 
was not confined to time or place, desired him to go back to his 
house, assuring him at the same time that his son was alive 
and would live. The nobleman relied upon his word, and 
soon learned from his servants that the fever had quitted his 
son at seven o'clock the foregoing day, which was the very 
hour he was discoursing about him with Christ Jesus. It is 
easy to conceive what an impression such agreeable news must 
have made on the heart of this nobleman. The Gospel tells us, 
that thereupon he believed in Christ, and his whole family 
along with him. This was a most happy circumstance indeed, 
by which he obtained not only the recovery of his son, the 
delight and comfort of the father, and in all appearance the 
rising hopes of his family, but likewise the true faith of Christ, 
which is the ground- work and foundation of eternal happiness. 
Whatsver pleasure he received from the recovery of his son, 
could only be limited in extent; but believing in Christ 
could, and in all appearance did make him eternally happy in 
heaven. 

Is there any one, Christians, but would wish most sincerely 
to have been in the place of this nobleman % But be pleased to 
observe, that the great blessings which that nobleman received 
in a miraculous manner, I mean faith in Christ, has been be- 
stowed on each of us at baptism in our infancy. Yet, where is 
the person that ever reflects upon this inestimable favour with 
the gratitude and thanksgiving it deserves ? How few are there 
that take any pains to know their faith, or the advantages that 
attend it 1 And yet an inquiry into our faith, and a knowledge 
of the advantages arising from it, are of the last consequence 
and importance. 

Faith is a gift of God, by which we believe all that he has 
revealed unto his Church, upon the infallible authority of his 
own word. It is a gift — because no man can have faith from 
himself, or believe without a particular grace from heaven. 
" Faith," St. Paul says, " is by hearing." And again, "How will 
they believe, if what they are to believe be not preached unto 



TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



199 



them 1 You are justified by faith, and this is not of you, but 
from the grace of God." This grace the Almighty God 
grants unto some, while he refuses it unto others. For all 
nations have not as yet been enlightened with the faith of 
Christ, because some regions are yet supposed to be unexplored. 
In all known countries, faith has been spread by the preaching 
of the Gospel, but by the terrible judgments of God removed 
from some. The Almighty is master of his gifts, and no one 
has any right to bring him to an account for such distribution 
as he thinks proper to make of his favours. It is this 
particular grace, which we receive first in our baptism, that 
enables us to believe all that God has revealed unto his 
Church, and to believe it upon the sole authority of his word. 
Here, then, you have both the object and the motive of our 
faith. The object of our faith are all the things which God 
has revealed in the Old and New Law. In the Old Law God 
spoke with man, and afterwards by Moses and the prophets ; 
in the New Law by the mouth of Christ Jesus himself, and his 
apostles. What, therefore, we are to believe, is what God has 
revealed, and this is contained chiefly in the Old and the New 
Testaments. The motive of our faith, or the reason why we 
believe those things, is the authority — the infallible word and 
authority of Christ ; or because God, the infallible truth, who, 
neither can deceive us, or be himself deceived, has revealed 
the points of our faith. It follows hence, we are to believe 
the points of our faith with the greatest firmness of mind, 
without the least doubt or hesitation, because they are 
grounded on the infallible word of God. " If we believe 
the testimony of man," St. John says, " how much more should 
we believe the testimony of God." It follows also, that it 
must be a great sin, a sin against faith, to disbelieve or even 
doubt of any one point of Revelation, because that is calling 
in question the truth and veracity of God who revealed it. 
Nevertheless, there are to be found those who, for worldly 
interest and advantage, have denied and will deny their faith ; 
but Christ will deny them before his Father in heaven. There 
are those that hesitate to believe some of the most 
material points of our faith, because they cannot comprehend 
them ; such as the Incarnation, the death and sufferings 
of Christ, the Most Holy Trinity, and others. Could 
reason comprehend them, they would be no longer mysteries. 
The question is not whether those mysteries be conceivable 
or not, but whether God has revealed them 1 If he has, 
they must be true ; because God can reveal or say nothing 
but what is true, and essentially true. Now that God has 



200 TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

revealed those things, is manifest from the testimony of all 
ages ; but especially from the testimony of his unerring and 
infallible Church, which the Almighty has established upon 
earth to guide and conduct us in the way to heaven. This is 
the nature of faith. It is a gift, a most particular gift of God, 
by which we firmly believe, without hesitation, all that God 
has revealed to his Church, and that upon the strength of his 
own word or testimony. The value of this gift will be seen 
from a consideration of the advantages that attend faith. 

So great are the advantages that attend faith, that St. Paul 
says in his Epistle to the Romans, " We are justified by faith." 
From this it appears there is no justification, no appearing 
just and righteous in the eyes of God, without faith. It is 
faith therefore that opens the gates of heaven, and gives us a 
title to the kingdom of God : which makes us partakers of the 
merits of Christ, and entitles us to the rewards he has 
promised all his faithful servants. " He that believeth and is 
baptized," says Christ, " shall be saved." On the other hand, 
says St. Paul, " Without faith it is impossible to please God ;" 
consequently, such as have not faith can have no title to the 
kingdom of heaven ; for Christ Jesus says, " He that believeth 
not shall be damned." But what faith is that which justifies 
before God, and entitles us to the kingdom of heaven 1 Not 
an idle, inactive, or speculative faith ; not a faith which is 
confined to believing alone, but a fruitful faith ; a faith at- 
tended with good works, " a faith," as St. Paul says, " which 
operates through charity." This is the faith which justifies the 
soul, and enlivens all our actions. When you pray, what is it 
makes your prayer agreeable to God 1 ? Faith in Christ. 
When you fast or give alms to the poor, it is likewise your 
faith in Christ that renders acceptable to God both your fast- 
ing and alms : so that faith is to good works what life is to the 
body — the enlivening and animating principle ; and so true is 
this principle, that all you could do or think of, either by 
prayer, or fasting, or alms, or even giving up your very life as 
a sacrifice, can obtain no merit, can avail nothing, unless it 
proceed from a spirit of faith ; for you will please to observe, 
that our actions have nothing in themselves agreeable to God. 
This consideration alone should give us the greatest veneration 
for our faith, and make us value it, as an immense treasure of 
spiritual blessing. It should engage us likewise to produce 
frequently fervent acts of faith, protesting to God that we 
believe firmly all that he has revealed unto his Church, upon 
the strength of his own infallible word of testimony. Divines 
say, we merit more by acts of faith, than by fasting and other 



TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



201 



penitential works for years ; because this virtue is so great and 
excellent in its nature, as it captivates and subjects unto to God 
the noblest faculty of the soul — understanding, that it raises 
our actions to the highest degree of merit. 

Let us, therefore, Christians, enliven our actions by a spirit 
of faith, offering them to God through Christ, and in union 
with the merits of Christ. Divines call this the interior spirit 
— that spirit which constitutes true and solid virtue. With- 
out this spirit of faith you can have no more than the appear- 
ance of Christianity. Many fast and pray ; but how 1 or why ] 
or for what end % they never inquire. And yet without this 
spirit of faith in Christ, all is lost. Let us, therefore, hence- 
forward " learn to live by faith/' as St. Paul directs : that is, 
enliven all our actions with a spirit of faith. For by faith 
the grace of God will be drawn down on you in this life, and 
the gates of heaven will be open for you in the next. Amen. 



TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The tendency of the whole Gospel this day is, to make us 
sensible of the obligation we are under of showing mercy unto 
others. For this end, our Saviour lays before us the severe 
punishment inflicted on a merciless servant, who on, receiving 
merc3 T , and the greatest mercy from his own master, would 
show no mercy to his fellow-servant, in an occasion of small 
consequence ; nor remit a trifling debt, after obtaining a 
full release of a most considerable debt. This is the parable, 
or figure ; and the application our Saviour makes of it is this, 
that our Heavenly Father will treat us in the same manner- 
will deliver us up to the executioners to be cast into prison, 
till we pay the last farthing, if we refuse showing mercy and 
forgiveness unto others. This may appear a very severe in- 
junction, as nothing is more repugnant to our natnre than to 
forgive a grievous injury of any kind. However, there are two 
considerations which are very capable of reconciling this in- 
junction to our minds. The first is, that God commands us to 
forgive even the greatest injuries ; and the second, that refus- 
ing to forgive is putting the Almighty God under a necessity 
of showing no forgiveness, no mercy unto ourselves. 

The command is laid down in the sixth chapter of St. Luke, 
where Christ says, " Forgive." And again, in St. Matthew, "I 
say unto you, Love your very enemies." This command sub- 
sisted from the foundation of the world ; but by the corrup- 
tion that gradually crept in among mankind, it was imagined 

o 



202 



TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



by the J ews, in our Saviour's time, that it was lawful to hate 
their enemies, although they were obliged to love their 
friends. But Christ Jesus made them sensible it was not 
so originally, and that the exception of enemies was a corrup- 
tion of the law, introduced by the Pharisees ; for which 
reason he took great pains to revive, and bring back to its 
primitive and original purify, the law of loving and forgiving 
our enemies, which was almost abolished, and worn out of the 
minds and hearts of mankind. Christ had a right to do so : 
first — as supreme Lord of the creation ; second — as showing the 
example in himself ; third — as the promises of forgiving us are 
grounded on our forgiving the offences of others. 

Almighty God, as sovereign Lord of the universe, has a 
right to lay down for his creatures, the works of his hands, 
such laws as he thinks proper. Essentially wise, and good as 
wise, he orders and commands us to forgive our greatest enemies 
— and the law must be obeyed, otherwise we incur the penal- 
ties he has been pleased to denounce against all transgressors 
of the law — eternal perdition. " How is it possible/' you will 
say, " to forgive a person who intended, who affected your 
entire ruin, by detraction, by envy, by secret villany, or open 
violence'?" Were it not possible, Christians, the Almighty God 
would not have commanded it : he has commanded it, there- 
fore it must be possible. For be pleased to observe, God does 
not require these great, noble, and difficult sentiments of for- 
giveness from us, considered barely as men, but as Christians, 
aided and assisted by the all-powerful grace of God. What 
we could never pretend to do of ourselves, or from the power of 
nature alone, becomes not only practicable, but easy, by the 
strength of grace. Behold St. Stephen praying, at his dying 
moments, for those who were putting him to death. 

Almighty God not only commands, but exemplifies in his 
own conduct, the obligation of forgiveness. When the insol- 
vent servant, mentioned in this day's Gospel, threw himself 
upon his knees before his master, begging a little time, and 
assuring him he would pay to the last farthing, this master, I 
say, remitted the whole debt. Thus our Heavenly Father 
acts by mankind in general. How many sins are daily com- 
mitted against Almighty God, all over the world % what 
injuries offered unto his holy name % And in what manner 
does he treat the offenders 1 does he punish them when they 
offend, and with jjthe severity their offences deserve 1 No : 
our patient God waits, and calls, and invites, by his grace, to 
repentance ; and when they kneel down and entreat — when 
they are contrite and humble — he forgives them the whole. 



TWKNTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



203 



Is it not thus lie lias treated each of us in particular 1 How 
often have we offended Almighty God in the violation of his 
laws ; and how often obtained forgiveness ! Shall we there- 
fore refuse to comply with these examples of repeated forgive- 
ness, in respect of others 1 If neither example, nor advice, 
nor entreaty, will influence you, attend to the words of Christ; 
" Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee thy whole debt ; shouldst 
not thou, then, forgive thy fellow-servant in like manner V 

In order still more effectually to induce you to forgiveness, 
Christ Jesus assures us, in the most positive manner, in St. 
Luke, " Forgive and ye shall be forgiven," not a part, but the 
whole, without limitation or restriction. Go, therefore, every 
one of you that harbours any hatred, or ill-will, or anger, or 
malice against his neighbour ; go, I say, kneel down in spirit 
before Christ, and tell him you offer, in union with his merits, 
and the sacrifice of the cross, the sacrifice of all your enmities 
and resentments, all the injuries you have received from others, 
because he requires it, because you love him, and because, 
being all sinners, you expect mercy, according to his promise. 
Do this — do it sincerely from your hearts — and Christ will 
answer* you — " Go in peace, thy sins are forgiven thee." 

On the other hand, if we refuse to forgive, we compel, in 
some measure, our Saviour to refuse forgiveness unto ourselves; 
as he declares in the Gospel this day that his Heavenly Father 
will treat each of us as the master did the merciless servant, 
unless we forgive our brethren from our hearts. To expect 
forgiveness, therefore, without forgiving, is expecting that 
Almighty God will, in our favour, break through a positive 
declaration he has made. But as he is incapable of doing 
this, it is plain our unwillingness to forgive must be an eternal, 
insurmountable obstacle to his mercy and goodness. Until 
this obstacle be removed, all that you can do towards a recon- 
ciliation with God can be of no force or avail. Although you 
were continually praying in the presence of the Lord, continu- 
ally performing the greatest austerities of religion, it would 
avail nothing, until you forgave. Christ Jesus declares, that 
though you were upon the point of offering up your gift or 
oblation at the altar, you should quit the very altar, and go to 
be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer 
your gift. How great an enemy, then, must that man be to 
himself, and to the interests of his soul, who harbours spleen 
or hatred, anger or malice against his neighbour ! While he 
means to hurt and prejudice another, it is himself he hurts and 
prejudices in reality, because his revenge will fall back upon 
himself. As he will grant no forgiveness, he can expect no 



204 



TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



forgiveness will be granted him : for St. James declares, 
" Judgment without mercy for him who hath not shown mercy 
unto others." 

Moreover, Christians, does not a person of an unforgiving 
temper put it out of his own power to address the Almighty God 
in prayer 1 Is it not one of the chief petitions of the most 
excellent Lord's Prayer, " Forgive us as we forgive others V If, 
therefore, we refuse forgiving the injuries we receive, do we not 
thereby beseech Almighty God not to forgive ourselves the sins 
we committed, the injuries he has received at our hands 1" 
" Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass 
against us f as we forgive, do thou forgive us, O Lord ! as we 
pardon others, do thou pardon us; if we do not forgive, if we do 
not pardon from our hearts, all those that have injured us, do 
not thou, Lord God ! pardon, but punish us. Such is the 
plain construction of that prayer, and such is the great 
misfortune attending an irreconcilable hatred, that it deprives us 
of any share we might expect in the mercies of God, and con- 
sequently destroys all hopes of eternal happiness. You should 
however, know, that when a grievous injury is offered, it is 
lawful to sue for a just reparation, such reparation as the laws 
of justice and equity will allow, because justice is not incon- 
sistent with charity ; but then this reparation must be sued for 
without malice — not with a view of hurting your neighbour, 
but barely to do yourselves justice. You should know that 
when a grievous injury is offered, it is the aggressor's business, 
and a duty in conscience incumbent on him, to make re- 
paration, and consequently to make the first advances toward 
such reconciliation — in the meantime the offended is not to 
refuse the common marks of Christian charity. This, Christians, 
is the substance of all that is material on this subject. You 
see, in fine, how important it is to each of you in particular, 
not only to know the obligation, but likewise the utility of 
forgiving our neighbour, so often as occasion offers ; because, 
by forgiving, Christ Jesus, our Lord and our God, will forgive 
our manifold sins, and raise us one day to everlasting happiness 
in heaven. Amen. 



TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Pharisees, mentioned in this day's Gospel, were a set of 
men very learned in the law, who united to their learning an 
apparent great sanctity of life, whereby they obtained a con- 
siderable influence over the minds of the people. Some of these 



TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 205 

Pharisees resolved to entrap our blessed Saviour in discourse, 
for which purpose they came and asked him publicly, "Was it 
lawful to pay tribute to Caesar?" This question was very 
perplexing, as there were many among the Jews who were 
taught by the Pharisees, that, as the chosen people of God, the 
Jews were under no subjection to any master but Almighty 
God himself, and, consequently, no way liable to any taxes or 
impositions whatsoever. If, therefore, our Saviour should say 
it was lawful, the Pharisees imagined he must incur the censure 
of the greater part of the Jews, who were instructed by the 
Pharisees, and maintained a contrary opinion. On the other 
hand, if our Saviour should say it was not lawful, they 
imagined he must offend the Herodians, or that part of the 
Jews who adhered to Herod, and maintained, that as Judea 
was now in subjection to the Romans, who appointed Herod a 
king, they were obliged to pay taxes and imposts as fixed and 
determined by the law. How did our blessed Saviour behave 
at this critical juncture 1 He called for a piece of the tribute- 
money, and asked, " whose image it bore. And they answer- 
ing Caesar's, he said unto them, Give therefore unto Caesar the 
things that are Caesar's." By this wise and considerate 
answer he confounded the malice and invidious designs of the 
Pharisees, because he only adjudged to Caesar what the nation 
acknowledged to be due unto Caesar ; but by adding, " and 
unto God the things that belong to God," he reproached the 
Pharisees for their hypocrisy, in refusing unto God the honour 
and glory, respect and veneration, due unto him, at the same 
time that they showed such apparent zeal for discharging the 
obligations of justice. The first thing they should have been 
mindful of, was " rendering unto God the things that belonged 
to God" — their love, homage, and adoration. This they entirely 
neglected, to apply to such observances as were capable of pro- 
curing them the esteem and applause of mankind. What the 
Pharisees were guilty of in the days of our blessed Saviour, is 
unhappily to be found in these our days, in the very centre 
of Christianity. How many Christians are to be found who 
never think seriously of what they owe the Almighty God, 
whilst they discharge with care what they conceive to be due 
unto man ! It is, therefore, Christians, of the utmost conse- 
quence to know, 1st, the things that are due unto God ; and, 
2nd — the motives that should induce us to pay unto Almighty 
God those things that are his due. 

What is it in general we owe unto God ? St. Paul answers 
the question — " Honour and glory." Almighty God created 
the universe for no other end but the honour and glory of his 



206 TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

holy name. Before the world was created, before the heavens 
or the earth existed, the Almighty enjoyed in himself, in the 
contemplation of his infinite perfections, the completest hap- 
piness. He therefore created the world with a view of mani- 
festing some of his adorable perfections — his power, wisdom, 
justice and goodness. His power — in creating from nothing, 
and with one single word, all things that exist in heaven above, 
on earth below, or in the waters under the earth. His 
wisdom — in the admirable mechanism, the just arrangement 
and suitable disposition of all the different parts of the 
universe. His justice — in assigning proper rewards for virtue, 
and punishments for vice. His goodness — in creating man with 
faculties capable of knowing and loving him, and of course 
capable of participating of that happiness he himself enjoys. 
In this grand display of the attributes of God, mankind is to 
contribute mostly to his glory, by a constant acknowledgment 
of his supreme power, goodness, and justice ; or in other 
words, by a constant and faithful obedience to his laws. 
This is the sole end or destination of mankind. For this man 
was born, to worship, adore, and glorify Almighty God, and 
for this alone. 

These divine honours we pay our Lord, in the faithful 
observance of those holy laws he has been pleased to lay 
down for us. So long as we fulfil those holy laws, we fultil 
the end of our creation. But should we decline fulfilling 
them, we not only decline fulfilling the end of our creation,, 
but subject ourselves, as well by this neglect, as by the actual 
commission of crimes, to the eternal punishments the Almighty 
God has decreed against all those that refuse him the honour 
and glory clue to his infinite majesty and greatness. Is not 
this, notwithstanding, the case with the greater part of man- 
kind 1 Even in this country, so long enlightened by the 
Gospel, how few are to be found who reflect seriously on the 
end of their creation 1 To judge from the conduct of most 
part of Christians, one should be led to think they were made 
for themselves alone, without any reference to Almighty God 
— for what is their aim, their pursuits 1 Is it the honour, the 
glory, the service of God 1 By no means ; but the indulgence 
of their appetites, the gratification of their senses, the pursuit 
of pleasure, of wealth, of distinction, of honours, and all the 
vanities of life, everything except God and his holy service, 
for which alone they were created and made. " The world is 
lost for want of consideration," says the prophet Jeremiah. 
How long then will you cease to think on your own most 
essential interests, Christians 1 Why will you abuse those 



TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



207 



noble faculties of your souls, your understanding, and your 
will, in pursuing trifles and shadows? Surely there are no 
pleasures to be compared with the delights of heaven, no 
wealth with its possession, no distinctions or honours with 
the society of the blessed, the friends of God. Were, you to 
consult your religion, or even your reason, you would know 
that " man was made," as the Holy Ghost says, " for the glory 
of God ; " and consequently that you decline from the end of 
your creation, so long as you neglect paying unto Almighty 
God the honour and glory which are his due. How negli- 
gent, Christians, have we not all been in this particular 1 ? 
Which of us can say he has glorified Almighty God, since he 
came to the use of reason 1 Can Ave say with truth that we 
spent any one single day of our life in the service of God ] 
How miserably then have we wasted our time since we came 
into the world 1 " We have been constantly going astray," as 
the royal prophet says, " and wearying ourselves in the ways 
of iniquity." Let us, therefore, humble ourselves in the 
presence of God, and reflect on our past infidelities and errors 
with confusion and sorrow. Let us conceive, at length, our 
end and destination, and finally resolve to live henceforward 
agreeable thereto ; that is, to honour and glorify Almighty 
God to the end of our lives, by a faithful observance of his 
laws. Thus we shall render to God his due. The motives for 
doing so come next under consideration. 

The first motive, Christians, is the subjection that is due 
from every creature to the Almighty God. For we are the 
wOrk of his all-powerful hands. He is our first beginning and 
ultimate end. From him we received our souls and bodies 
with all their faculties and powers. Seeing, therefore, that 
all we have is derived from God, is it not both natural and 
just that all should be constantly referred unto him 1 This is 
the foundation of all natural religion : for there is no wise man 
upon earth, who listens to the dictates of reason, but must see 
within himself how necessary it is to acknowledge the supreme 
and infinite power of the first Being and fruitful Cause of all 
things, and that all creatures should be dependent on him 
and subservient to his will. This is likewise the foundation 
of that extremely pious and meritorious -part of a spiritual 
life, which consists in confessing inwardly in the presence 
of Almighty God that we belong entirely to him, and 
therefore most willingly devote ourselves to his service, con- 
secrating all our desires, actions, and affections, to the eternal 
honour and glory of his holy name. As the Almighty God is 
the supreme Master and Lord of all, all should be attentive to 



208 



TWEKTY-SECO^D SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



pay him the respect and love and honour that are his due. 
If the servant is bound in duty to honour and obey his master, 
the subject his prince, the child his parent, what titles and 
claims has not the Almighty God to the love, honour, and 
obedience of all mankind'? However just those claims, is it 
not the study of the greater part of mankind to dishonour the 
Almighty God, by breaking through and violating his holy 
laws ? Can anything be more ungrateful, more criminal 1 
Let us, therefore, remember, that it is the first essential duty 
of a man, a duty manifested by reason alone, to live in con- 
tinual subjection to the laws of God. The second motive is 
our redemption in Christ. You know that in consequence of 
the transgression of our first parents, all mankind had forfeited 
every right and title to the kingdom of heaven; that they be- 
came likewise slaves to Satan, and liable to eternal perdition. 
This was the deplorable state of human nature after the fall 
of Adam, when the Son of God resolved in mercy to assume 
human nature, in order to redeem mankind by the effusion 
of his blood — and this merciful design he carried into execu- 
tion in the plenitude of time, as St. Paul says, by dying for us 
upon the cross. By this death mankind has been redeemed 
from the slavery of sin and the eternal punishments due unto 
sin; and also restored to their primitive rights to the kingdom 
of heaven : so that we are all, properly speaking, as St. Paul 
observes, " the conquest and the purchase of Christ J esus." 
Now let me ask yourselves, what right must not this divine 
Redeemer and Purchaser of our souls, have to our love, 
affection, and services. 

Add to all this the eternal rewards he has promised those 
who love and serve him. As supreme Lord and Master of all 
things he had an indisputable title to our submission and 
obedience without engaging himself to any rewards. Yet he 
has been pleased to make our own eternal happiness the 
necessary consequence of our obedience to his laws. Can any- 
thing equal this bounty and goodness 1 But the misfortune 
is that people never reflect on the happiness that must ensue 
from serving the Almighty God, and bestow their labour, ap- 
plication and services upon this ungrateful world, in which 
they meet with nothing but solicitude, affliction, and 
disappointment in the end. For what is all the happiness of 
this world at the hour of death % At that dreadful moment 
we certainly would give the whole world that Ave had spent 
our lives in the service of God. Why then shall we not adopt 
and follow the same principles at present 1 Let us now begin 
as the prophet says, what we never should have omitted, 



TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



209 



paying to God the things that are due unto God, honour and 
glory, in obeying faithfully and constantly his holy laws. If 
we do, we certainly will receive from Almighty God the things 
that are due in virtue of his promise to all his faithful ser- 
vants — grace in this life, and eternal happiness in the next. 
Amen. 



TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The extraordinary faith of the woman who was cured by our 
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the extraordinary blessing 
that attended it, are the most remarkable points in the 
Gospel of this day. "We have instances in the Gospel of 
several persons being miraculously healed by our blessed 
Redeemer ; but their faith was not perfect : for they applied 
publicly to Christ J esus for that purpose, and humbly entreated 
to be relieved from their infirmities ; even the very ruler of 
the synagogue, the president of the Jewish congregation, 
whose duty it was to explain true faith by his actions as well as 
doctrine. But the woman in question made no prayer or ap- 
plication unto Christ : she concluded within herself, that she 
would be infallibly cured if she could but touch the hem of 
his garment ; so lively was her faith, and so great the opinion 
she had conceived of his power and goodness. Nor was she 
deceived, Christians, in her expectations, for the moment she 
touched the garment of Christ Jesus, he turned about, saying, 
" Daughter, be of good hope, thy faith has made thee sound 
and the woman was perfectly cured from that hour of the flux 
she had laboured under for many years, which she despaired 
of ever finding a remedy for, except from Christ Jesus. This 
miracle being performed, our Saviour went with the ruler of 
the synagogue to his house, where his daughter lay dead : 
but finding the house crowded with musicians and players 
upon instruments (as was customary with the Jews to hire 
people of this kind, to perform and exhibit a mournful sort of 
music at their funerals) he ordered them all to retire : in 
order to show us, as the holy fathers observe, that the blessings 
of God are not to be obtained amidst the tumult and dissipation 
of the world. Such as intend to partake of the blessings 
of heaven, must withdraw frequently from the crowd, to 
occupy their thoughts in the contemplation of heavenly 
things — of God and his infinite perfections — his power, great- 
ness, wisdom, mercy and justice, and the obligations of their 
respective states. The voice of heaven can scarcely be heard 



210 



TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER, PENTECOST. 



amidst the hurry and distractions of this world : nor can the 
grace of God make any great impression upon a mind quite 
occupied with the interests and advantages of this life, or a 
heart drunk and infatuated with its guilty joys. To prepare 
our souls therefore for the heavenly visitation, we must fre- 
quently banish from the mind all worldly thoughts, and root 
out from the heart all terrestrial affections. When this is done, 
we have a right to expect that Christ Jesus will visit us inwardly 
with his heavenly grace. 

Soon as he had driven the crowd and players upon instruments 
out of the apartment, where the ruler of the synagogue's 
daughter lay dead, Christ Jesus "took hold of her by the hand; 
and the girl rose up ; and the fame thereof ran over all that 
whole country." The publication of those illustrious and 
wonderful miracles was, in a very short time, a natural con- 
sequence of their performance for the good and happiness of 
man ; and great indeed must have been the ideas of the power 
and goodness of Christ Jesus, in those who had been eye- 
witnesses to these facts, in beholding, within the short compass 
of a few minutes, one cured of an inveterate and dangerous 
disorder, that already had baffled all her pursuits for a cure, by 
only touching the hem of his garment ; and another raised from 
the dead and restored to life, by his taking her by the hand ! 
Great, also, must have been the impression which these facts, 
verified by undeniable witnesses, made upon the minds of all 
that heard them. From these it was easy to conclude that the 
power of Christ Jesus was beyond all limitation, and his good- 
ness equal to his power. 

Have we not also, Christians, great reason to be impressed 
with lively sentiments upon these illustrious facts of our blessed 
Lord and Redeemer? We cannot doubt but all those who 
laboured under any infirmity in the neighbouring parts, where 
the rumour of those miracles had spread, immediately came to 
Christ Jesus for relief. Why shall we not behave in the same 
manner 1 Have we no spiritual wants or necessities 1 Do we 
labour under no infirmity of the soul 1 Alas ! how many are 
dead in reality in the eyes of God ; that is, deprived of his holy 
grace, which constitutes the spiritual life of the soul, and yet 
continue in that dreadful situation, without the least anxiety 
of mind ; without any desire, any application to recover the 
spiritual life, that life they had been deprived of by the com- 
mission of sin ! It remains for them, like the ruler of the 
synagogue, to recur to Christ Jesus, and beseech him with 
humility and compunction to restore their souls to life, by 
imparting his holy grace and the forgiveness of their sins. 



TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 211 

For "he is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the 
whole world." He is the divine Author of life and death. 
"In his hands he holds the very keys of hell," as the royal 
prophet says. All yon, therefore, that have lost the life of your 
souls, go to Christ Jesus : as God, he has power, as Christ, the 
goodness to restore your spiritual life, as related in this day's 
Gospel. Kemember that he is still seated on a throne of mercy 
at the right hand of his Father in the kingdom of heaven, where 
he is continually exerting the supreme power that was given 
him as Man, over the whole creation. " If you sin," do not 
forget, says St. Paul, " that' you have an intercessor in heaven, 
who is continually entreating and importuning the Father in 
your favour." 

There are others who may not be quite dead in the eyes of 
God, but still are troubled with, and labour under many 
spiritual infirmities — a spirit of worldliness, a spirit of vanity, 
a certain coldness or indifference in the exercises of religion ; in 
a word, a constant negligence in the service of God. A situa- 
tion of this kind, although it may not seem at first appearance 
to be any way dreadful, is certainly most fatal and prejudicial 
in its consequences ; becanse it leads by slight and secret, but 
criminal omissions, to omissions of our most essential obligations-, 
The masters of a spiritual life say, it were much safer for one 
to have committed some considerable fault than remain in a 
state of this kind ; because a considerable fault creates a horror 
in the soul which moves it to repentance and amendment of 
life ; but people possessed of that torpor or coldness continue 
so for many years, and commonly pass away their lives in a 
certain indifference and lukewarmness, which disguise the most 
considerable faults, under the appearance of slight neglect and 
pardonable frailties. " You think," says the angel of the Lord 
in the Revelations, " you think your are alive, or in favour 
with God; yet I tell you, you are dead, (in a sinful state,) in 
his sight. 

If there be any amongst us, Christians, in this unhappy 
situation, who fancying themselves safe under false appearances 
of fulfilling their duty, whilst externally they fulfil the law, 
but fulfil it with langour, with coldness and indifference, they 
may justly be compared to the womau under our consideration, 
who for many years had been troubled with a slow, lingering, 
but mortal distemper. Although this should be the case, let 
us not despond. The remedy is at hand. Like the sick 
woman, let us turn to Christ J esus and approach him. If she 
was perfectly restored to health from a mortal distemper by 
only touching the hem of his garment, what may not you 



2U 



TWENTY- THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



expect, you who approach humbly and sincerely to Christ in 
his holy sacrament, wherein he gives himself entirely to us for 
the sanctification and nourishment of our souls ! You must 
know, Christians, it is the peculiar effect of this sacrament to 
strengthen and invigorate the soul, and thereby banish that 
weakness and feebleness of spirit, which hinder a great many 
from serving Almighty God with the fervency and fidelity he 
requires. Every sacrament has a peculiar virtue. Baptism 
cleanses the soul from original sin, makes us members of Christ, 
children of God, and heirs to the kingdom of heaven. Con- 
firmation makes us perfect Christians, and gives us the 
strength and resolution that are necessary to profess our faith 
publicly, even in the greatest dangers of life and property. 
Penance blots out and effaces the sins committed after baptism, 
and restores us to the friendship and sanctifying grace of God. 
But the Eucharist nourishes the soul, adds to the grace and 
righteousness we already had received in the sacrament of 
penance. And this is the reason why it was instituted by 
Christ Jesus, under the marks and appearances of nourishment. 
" My flesh is truly food," says our Lord, " and my blood 
is truly drink," whence divines conclude, that as material 
rood nourishes the body, so the divine Eucharist must 
nourish the soul, and consequently become the most effectual 
remedy for the spiritual weaknesses of the soul. Let me 
repeat it, Christians, if such great virtue and efficacy could 
arise to the sick woman of the Gospel, from the bare touch, 
not of the body of Christ, but of the hem of his garment, what 
blessings have you not a right to expect — what strength to 
resist your spiritual enemies — what vigour to advance forward 
in the ways of eternal life, from the participation of the body 
and blood, the soul and divinity of Christ Jesus in his holy 
sacrament ! It is here he invites us to come unto him, in 
order to be cured of all the infirmities of our souls ; saying as 
he formerly did in the Gospel, " Come unto me, all ye that 
labour and are burthened, and I will refresh you." Why then 
do you not answer and comply with the tender invitations of 
Christ Jesus 1 You know the miserable condition of your 
souls. You know how feeble your virtue is, how little sensible 
you are of the things of God. Why do you not then seek 
after and make use of " that heavenly food which," the royal 
prophet says, " makes and constitutes the strong?" 

Approach, therefore, respectfully, the person of Christ 
Jesus ; touch the hem of his garment with a lively faith and 
firm confidence in his mercies, and you certainly will be cured — 
cured of a spirit of worldliness, or that excessive attachment to 



LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



213 



this -world which absorbs all your thoughts and affections, and 
leaves no time to think of God or the things of God — cured of a 
spirit of vanity and folly, which makes you set the greatest value 
upon the painted toys and gaudy trifles of this world ; whilst 
you utterly neglect the most material concerns of your sou], 
the joys and glory of the kingdom of heaven — cured of a cer- 
tain insensibility, which leaves you no relish for the things of 
God ; no desire of seeing or enjoying God — cured, in a word, 
of certain uneasiness, a kind of secret desperation which leaves 
you little or no hopes in the mercies of God, and makes you 
tremble whenever you look into eternity, and consider the 
dreadful fate of those who become victims to his severe and 
inflexible justice. Approach, I say, respectfully to your God, 
and you shall hear within yourselves the comfortable assurance 
our Saviour gave the woman in the Gospel : " Be of good 
courage, my child, thy faith has made thee whole." How 
delightful must an inward inspiration of this kind be ! 
Undoubtedly it surpasses infinitely all the happiness of this 
life ; and it is always grounded on the love of God and the 
strongest hopes of eternal happiness. Amen. 



LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Church finishes and begins the ecclesiastical year with 
the same Gospel, or that Gospel which exhibits a picture of 
the general Judgment, and the dreadful circumstances attend- 
ing it. As the general Judgment is the most awful mystery 
of our holy religion, the Church is of opinion that she cannot 
recall it too often to the consideration of her children ; in 
order, by a just apprehension of the terrible judgments of the 
Lord, to withdraw their hearts from all attachment to this 
perishable world, and its deceitful, cheating vanities, and to 
reclaim them from sin, and vice, and error. There is, how- 
ever, some little difference between the Gospel this day, and 
that of next Sunday, which is this. The Gospel for the 
first Sunday in Advent barely treats of the last Judgment 
and its foregoing signs; whereas, in the Gospel this day, we 
have not only an account of the general confusion and destruc- 
tion which are to happen the last day, but likewise of the 
destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple — the dismal signs 
that were to be forerunners thereof — the calamity and entire 
ruin of the Jewish nation, which was a punishment inflicted 
on them by Almighty God for their obstinacy and infidelity, 
for having rejected the Messiah promised unto their fore- 



214 LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

fathers — Christ Jesus, the Son of God, and Redeemer of 
mankind. To effect the ruin of the Jewish nation which had 
been determined on by Almighty God, Jerusalem and its 
Temple should be destroyed, and laid level with the ground, 
^is being the seat of the power, wealth, and religion of the 
Jewish people. This happened some years after the death of 
our Saviour, when Titus, general of the Roman armies, by 
command of his father, the Emperor Yespasian, besieged, it 
with a mighty force, took, sacked, pillaged, and destroyed it ; 
overthrowing its walls and edifices, razing its Temple, and 
killing by the sword the miserable few that a terrible famine 
had spared. 

As this was the greatest calamity that could befall the Jews, 
our blessed Saviour was pleased to forewarn his disciples 
against it, for fear they, or those amongst the Jews who would 
become Christians, should be involved in the general destruc- 
tion of the nation. For this purpose he desires them to fly to 
the mountains for safety, to avoid perishing with those that 
were to die, in obstinately defending Jerusalem and the 
Temple against the Romans. When were they to fly 1 " As 
soon as the abomination of desolation, foretold by the prophet 
Daniel, should appear in the holy place," our Saviour says ; 
that is, as soon as the holy land, the holy city and the Temple 
should be profaned by the introduction of the idols or images 
of the false gods, which were painted on the Roman standards 
or colours, and which are always called abominations in holy 
"Writ. The signal, therefore, of the approaching ruin of 
Jerusalem, and, consequently, the moment for the disciples of 
Christ to fly, and shun inevitable destruction, was the time 
when the Roman colours should be displayed in sight of 
Jerusalem. " Then," says our Saviour, " then let those that 
are in Judea fly to the mountains : and he that is on the 
housetop, let him not come down to take anything out of his 
house : and he that is in the field let him not return back 
to take his coat." By these expressions our Saviour signifies 
beforehand how pressing and urgent the danger would be ; 
.and consequently how far it was incumbent on every one to 
provide for his own safety and preservation without any negli- 
gence or delay. " Woe be unto those that are with child : 
and to those that give suck in those days : " because people in 
this condition are greatly embarrassed ; and always incapable 
of taking the active steps that are necessary to guard against 
any imminent danger. "Pray that your flight may not happen 
in winter, or on the sabbath," our Saviour says ; because 
it is hard to undertake a difficult journey in the severity of 



LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 215 

winter; and because it was not lawful to travel more than 
about one mile on the Sabbath-day, which should give the 
enemy an opportunity of taking them and putting them to 
death. " For then shall be great tribulation," our Saviour 
adds, "such as hath not been since the beginning of the world, 
until now, nor shall be." Great, indeed, was this tribulation, 
as we are assured by all the historians of those times; especially 
by Josephus, the most celebrated historian among the Jews, 
who relates that eleven hundred thousand Jews perished either 
by famine or the sword, in the destruction of Jerusalem and 
the Temple ! He further relates a very extraordinary circum- 
stance indeed, that no one of the disciples of the Lord, or of 
the Jews who became Christians by the ministry of the 
apostles, was involved in this general calamity of the nation. 
Being warned and admonished by the disciples of our Lord, who 
had heard from the lips of Christ J esus the prediction of the 
approaching ruin of Jerusalem and the Temple, they fled 
seasonably beyond the river Jordan, into a little town called 
Pella, where they escaped all the miseries and calamities of 
war. 

Almighty God was so much incensed against the Jews for 
their obstinacy and infidelity, that probably he would have 
put an end to the whole nation at this very period, had it not 
been for a few amongst them, who, faithful to the light that 
had shined before their eyes, acknowledged Christ Jesus as 
the Son of God and Redeemer of mankind. These were the 
elect amongst the Jews; and it was in favour of these few 
elect, that the Almighty was pleased to shorten the days of 
their public calamity, as the Gospel says, and preserve the 
remains of that unhappy nation, which are to subsist to the 
end of the world, when they are to be received again into 
favour and converted to the faith of Christ, as St. Paul testifies, 
saying, " The remains of Israel shall be saved." In the mean- 
time, they are to be without power, jurisdiction, or dominion ; 
without king, without country, without altar, without sacri- 
fice, deprived as they are of Jerusalem and the Temple, 
wherein alone it was lawful to offer up sacrifices unto the 
Lord. This clearly points out their reprobation, as the 
prophets had foretold, when they should be no longer the 
people of God ; when the Almighty would make unto himself 
a new and chosen people, composed of all the nations upon 
the earth ; which has been actually accomplished by the 
establishment of the Christian religion all over the world 
Before we dismiss this subject of the destruction of Jerusalem, 
as foretold by Christ J esus in the Gospel of this day, it is 



216 



LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



necessary to inform you of the attempts that have been made 
by the Emperor Julian, called the Apostate, in order to frus- 
trate and annul the prediction of Christ in this respect. From 
an irreconcilable hatred to Christianity, and its divine author, 
Christ Jesus, this impious and daring emperor sent a strong 
and powerful army to rebuild the walls and Temple of Jerusalem. 
But, behold ! whilst they were employed in this sacrilegious 
attempt, huge balls of fire issued out of the very foundations 
of the earth, and struck the workmen with such terror, as 
obliged them immediately to desist and abandon their enter- 
prise ! So true it is that heaven and earth shall pass away, 
but the word of God shall remain firm and unshaken, whilst 
all the presumptuous endeavours of man against it, shall fall 
to the ground. These particulars, which are highly worthy of 
recollection, as they reflect the greatest honour upon our 
holy religion, and the greatest shame and confusion upon the 
enemies of Christ, are related by the best Pagan historians of 
those early times. 

Besides the signs of war which were to announce the 
approaching ruin of J erusalem, Christ Jesus was pleased to 
give his disciples other signs of consequence, whereby they 
might distinguish the impending ruin ; namely the great num- 
ber of false prophets that would appear at that very period. 
In the history of those times we read that Judea was never 
infested with a greater number of impostors and false 
prophets, than some time after the death of our Lord and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ ; and during the very war in which 
Jerusalem and the Temple were demolished and the whole 
nation reduced and dispersed, some of those impostors, 
Josephus says, after seducing multitudes of the people, retired 
into a great desert near Jerusalem, where they set themselves 
up successively for the Messiah; and were daily promising the 
poor deluded people that followed them immediate deliverance 
from all the misfortunes they laboured under ; but these vain 
promises soon ended in the entire ruin of the seducers and 
seduced. Those false prophets our Saviour means when he 
warns his disciples in the Gospel this day : "If they shall say 
to you, Behold he (the Messiah) is in the desert — go ye not out.' r 
For the knowledge of the Messiah was not to be confined to 
any desert, or corner, or private spot of the earth, but to shine 
to the whole world, like the lightning which scarcely starts in 
the east when it is perceived in the most distant parts of the 
west. 

From the signs that were to announce the fall of Jerusalem 
and the Jewish nation, our Saviour passes unto the signs that 



LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



217 



are to usher in the end of time and the entire dissolution of the 
earthly frame of this world. " Then the sun shall be darkened, 
and the moon shall not give its light : then the stars shall fall, 
and the powers of the heavens be shaken. Then shall appear 
the sign of the Son of Man, coming in the clouds of heaven 
with great power and majesty. Then shall he send forth his 
angel, with a trumpet and loud voice, to gather together his 
elect from the four winds, from the highest parts of the heaven 
to the utmost bounds thereof." From these awful preparations 
the most tremendous scene follows. This is the day of sorrows 
foretold by the prophets — " a day of wrath, of misery and woe." 
Then shall we conceive how "dreadful it is," as St. Paul says, 
"to fall into the hands of the living God." 

Consider, Christians, and reflect, whilst time remains for 
reflection, that we must be all witnesses, one day, of this 
dreadful scene. "We must all appear on the last day before the 
Son of Man, Jesus Christ our God, to receive according to our 
works — eternal life, if we lead here a just and righteous life, 
by fulfilling the laws of Christ : but, good Lord, deliver us ! 
eternal death — eternal pain, and torture, and sorrow, if we 
lead a sinful life. Which will be our lot? Shall we ascend with 
Christ, or descend to the burning lake 1 One thing is certain 
— our fate is in our own hands. There is none of us but has 
it in his power, by the grace of God, to attain to eternal 
happiness. For this purpose let us fear the Lord and his 
terrible judgments. Let us fulfil his holy laws during our 
conversation on earth ; and if you do, I promise you, on the 
part of Christ Jesus, our Lord, that on the last day he will 
bring you with himself, soul and body, into the kingdom of 
heaven. Amen. 



P 



SERMONS ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS. 



SERMON I. 

ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW. 

What is written in the Law ? Do this and thou shalt live. 

Luke, c. x., v. 26 and 28. 

Almighty God, as supreme Master of his gifts, could ab- 
solutely have promised and granted eternal happiness to 
mankind in general, without any condition or stipulation what- 
ever. But this he was not pleased to do. On the contrary, 
he has ordained that eternal happiness should be the reward 
of our fidelity. " Heaven is a crown of justice," according to 
St. Paul ; a crown bestowed as a reward for our works of 
justice upon earth, and a crown never granted but to such as 
deserve it. Whoever, therefore, aspires to eternal happiness, 
must consider it in this light, and be perfectly convinced 
within himself, that he never will be made partaker of ever- 
lasting felicity unless he shall deserve it. How deserve it 1 
By fulfilling the law of God. This is the agreement that God 
has been pleased to make with mankind in the person of Jesus 
Christ, for he says in the Gospel, " What is written in the 
law 1 Do this, and thou shalt live," — or attain to life ever- 
lasting. Although Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, and 
Redeemer of mankind, had an undoubted right to enact new 
laws relating to salvation, yet he was content with enforcing 
the laws already established, and chiefly contained in the 
Decalogue, or ten Commandments, extending them to a larger 
compass, and raising them to a higher degree of perfection ; 
because these laws were fully sufficient to obtain the end of 
their institution, namely — the glory of God, and the happiness 
of mankind. Now these laws, as they stand enforced anew, 
extended to a larger compass, and raised to a higher degree of 
perfection by Jesus Christ, the divine master and legislator of 
mankind, are comprised in the Gospel, and the observance of 
these laws is what Jesus Christ declares to be a necessary con- 
dition towards obtaining life everlasting. The observance of 
the law of God being then the groundwork of our salvation, 
the knowledge of this law becomes the first duty of every 
Christian. AH knowledge before this melts into air. The 



ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW. 



219 



proud philosophy of the ancients, and the deep researches of 
the wise ones of old, what have they tended to ? At most, 
only to gratify idle speculation in examining the laws of 
nature, and often drawing wrong conclusions from false prin- 
ciples : but the laws of moral piety and moral rectitude were 
set aside, unless built upon their own systems • and thus 
those laws which alone should form the true study of man — ■ 
those laws which comprehend everything sublime, everything 
awful, everything terrible to man — those laws, the observance 
of which raises man beyond everything in the visible creation, 
were made to give way to vanity or interest. The desire of 
appearing, rather than of being wise, smothered the seeds of 
wisdom and truth, which, in a greater or lesser degree, 
Almighty God has planted in the heart of every human creature. 

Far removed from you let this approach be, my brethren, 
who certainly lie under greater obligations to the goodness of 
heaven than those philosophers of old, for the many blessings 
you enjoy, and which they did not, in being born, and reared, 
and instructed in the bosom of the Church of Christ, and the 
way shown to you which leads to heaven, by obeying the laws 
But in proportion as those advantages are great, so will your 
guilt become greater, unless, by faithfully observing the law, 
you fulfil the duties it prescribes, and thereby manifest how 
far superior the simple wisdom of a Christian is, beyond all 
the boasted wisdom of proud, profane, and worldly knowledge. 
Jesus Christ had laid down laws for the government of your 
lives, and enforces them by rewards and punishments. As 
there is no exemption in this case, I repeat it, it becomes the 
first duty of a Christian to know them ; because a knowledge 
of the law is a necessary condition for observing the law. This 
subject, therefore, naturally branches out into two distinct 
points, to the consideration of which I solicit your attention : 
first — an inviolable attachment to the law ; and, secondly — a 
faithful compliance therewith. 

First — That attachment to the law which the law 
requires, is not barely confined to the study of its principles, 
but to the performance of its obligations. Many there 
are who study the law from a spirit of vanity, and a desire 
of manifesting to the world how much they are conver- 
sant with the deepest mysteries and the strictest obliga- 
tions of religion. Others are eternally discoursing of the 
law, extolling its perfections, and recommending unto others 
the practice thereof, with the greatest, and in appearance, 
the sincerest zeal imaginable : but then their actions are 
always at variance with their words, and their conduct quite 



220 



SERMON I. 



the reverse of their outward principles. In this particular 
they are like the Pharisees, whom our Saviour frequentlv re- 
proaches in the Gospel, with speaking a great deal of the law, 
and performing little or nothing of what they said. Some are 
seen to show the greatest conformity with the law, and put on 
a most imposing mask of austerity : but this they do from a 
spirit of hypocrisy, which, under a holy and sanctified appear- 
ance, frequently conceals the greatest iniquity and dissolute- 
ness. People of this character are what St. Paul calls 
" painted sepulchres white and shining outside, but within 
corruption and putrefaction. The man who is truly virtuous, 
has the law of God not in his thoughts alone, or in his words, 
not in his air or appearance, but where King David carried it, 
as the Holy Ghost declares, " in his heart." In the heart of a 
virtuous man the law resides ; there it rules. From the heart, 
as from its centre, it spreads and extends its influence to all 
the faculties of the soul, so as to regulate all her thoughts and 
desires, all her actions and affections. What the soul is to 
the body — the vivifying principle, the same is the law of God 
to every virtuous man. It is this divine law that animates and 
governs his whole conduct ; advises him in doubt, directs him 
in deliberation, enlightens him in action, and even sanctifies his 
rest. Neither the allurement of riches, the attraction of 
pleasures, the show of grandeur, nor the opinions or prejudices 
of men have the least influence over him. 

The study of men, in general, is bent upon acquiring new 
lights, gratifying curiosity, or collecting information, if possible, 
upon everything interesting to this life. But the great study 
of the law of God, and the observance of its precepts, whereon 
not only life eternal, but death eternal depends, is and should 
be the first and chief study of all rational beings, especially of 
those who possess so much knowledge upon all ether 
affairs. 

Some study to rise a great name by rank, honours, illus- 
trious actions, or by composing and publishing works of 
science. This empty name, even during life, what doth it add 
to a man of sense % At the last period of life what consolation 
doth it afford? And in future ages, should your name be 
mentioned with admiration for the depth of your understand- 
ing, or the brilliancy of your actions, what will it avail should 
you be cast off by God for your inobservance of his holy laws. 
The knowledge of everything that reason can comprehend, 
without the knowledge of the law of God, is smoke. Should 
you be able to count the stars, and see into the reasons 
which moved the eternal mind of God, by one word to create 



ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW. 



221 



them so numerous, so various, so differently placed, and for 
what ends, still this knowledge without the knowledge of the 
law of God, would be truly vain. On the other hand, a 
knowledge of the law of God is true wisdom, although unac- 
companied by any other wisdom. The law of God, to a 
virtuous man, becomes a monitor, friend, and companion. The 
only thing he consults upon every occasion is that law, which 
is deeply imprinted in his heart. When the law commands 
and calls aloud for the performance of some material and im- 
portant duty, he immediately obeys and breaks forth into 
action : w 7 hen the law forbids and checks his pursuits, he 
immediately desists. When the law barely points out the 
danger, he walks with the utmost caution, " neither declining 
to the right nor to the left," as the royal prophet says, but 
following steadily the heavenly light that shines within him, 
.his docile mind pursues the easy and direct way which the law 
points out to eternal happiness. 

Such are the fruits of an attachment to the law of God 
which the virtuous man possesses. Without such attachment, 
men, governed by their own reason, are apt to judge of all 
things by their reason ; to presume on their own lights and 
the solidity of their judgment ; to form judgments from their 
private opinions, and resolutions from their intentions. 
Almighty God, the hidden light of every mind, and the secret 
mover of every heart, they neither consult nor think of, nor 
pray to, relying upon themselves, and the knowledge they 
possess. Error therefore naturally creeps in, and passion 
domineers. The law of God not only instructs but corrects ; 
not only enlightens reason, but breaks down passion or concu- 
piscence. A sincere attachment to this law clearly shows how 
much we love God, and God on his part will not fail to love us. 
" Happy is the man," says the Holy Ghost, " that could do 
evil, and did not do it ; that could transgress, and transgressed 
not." But what is this happy conduct owing to 1 ? — to an in- 
ward attachment, or obedience to the law ; to an attachment 
or obedience which is lodged in, and strongly impressed on 
the soul. This attachment to the law should be common to 
us all, because it is the very first of our obligations, an obliga- 
tion so great, that we should be always disposed to sacrifice 
our dearest interests, our fortunes, and our lives, rather than 
transgress any one essential point of the law. I will go 
farther, and say with all divines in ancient or modern times, 
that our atttachment to the law ought to operate so far as to 
induce us to make the foregoing sacrifices, rather than 
transgress the smallest point of the law : for our blessed 



222 



SERMON I. 



Saviour says in the Gospel, " If any one love his father or 
mother, his brother or sister, nay, his very life before me 
(before the fidelity, submission, and attachment due to his 
law) he is not worthy to be called my disciple ! " 

Therefore an inward, sincere and inviolable attachment to 
the law of God, is the very first step to virtue, the very first 
qualification which renders us worthy the name and appellation 
of Christians : so that wherever that attachment and fidelity to 
the law are wanting, there can be no virtue, no Christianity, 
no religion. But where is this inward, sincerce, and inviolable 
attachment to the law of God to be met with ^ Among the 
Christians of our days'? No; nothing is so rare. False 
philosophy, false principles, false ideas, supersede the law of 
God, and most people think and act from the false impulse of 
these false principles, whereby that war is constantly main- 
tained, which we daily behold between truth and false opinions. 
Amidst this general wreck of sound reason, there are a few, 
but few they are, who regulate their actions by the law of God : 
I say but few, because what the generality of the Christians of 
our days inquire into, is not whether a thing be lawful or un- 
lawful ; whether it be conformable or repugnant to the laws of 
God ; but whether it be suitable to their interest, or any way 
conducive to the increase of their credit or fortune in the world. 
This is the principle that rules in their hearts, and breathes 
throughout all their actions; and this must appear plain to any 
man who considers their conduct. For can anything be more 
common than to see numbers of people daily supporting their 
credit or increasing their fortunes by means directly contrary 
to the law of God ? The only thing they will make some diffi- 
culty to commit, is a flagrant injustice, or some notorious act 
of dishonesty. It is not the magnitude of the crime, but the 
publicity that deters them. If the world is blind to their 
wickedness, they make no account that the eyes of God are 
open on them. The laws of men are cautiously and cunningly 
eluded ; but the laws of God are quite overlooked. If the laws 
of men are publicly respected, the laws of God are privately 
despised. 

Now should a minister of the Gospel have zeal and resolution 
enough to let them know that there are a great many points 
of the law they daily transgress, the violation of which makes 
them obnoxious to the justice of God, and will certainly ex- 
clude them for ever, if they do not repent, from the kingdom 
of heaven, they only laugh at the wholesome information — 
from their behaviour, one should really imagine the law was not 
made for them ; but that they had a particular exemption from 



ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW. 



223 



the law : but there can be no such thing, because the law is 
universal. It comprehends all Christians as one great family, 
without distinction of high or low, rich or poor, wise or 
ignorant, elevated or humble. All ranks, all states, all con- 
ditions are subject to the law ; for as the Almighty God is the 
supreme master of the whole creation, it is clear he had a 
right to extend his uncontrollable power to what limits, and 
exert it in what manner he thought proper. 

In the order of nature he has connected all bodies by a 
certain combination of parts, and annexed certain laws to 
each ; so has he done with regard to the rational and intel- 
lectual part of the creation, by laying down certain laws for 
their conduct, the observance of which he requires under the 
severest penalties. This appears from the Old and also from 
the New Law. In the Old Law we find that Almighty God, 
after conversing many days with Moses upon Mount Sinai, 
amidst thunder and lightning, and such dreadful appearances 
as visibly bespoke the presence of the divinity, manifested at 
length his awful will, and engraved his commands on tables 
of stone, which commands were by his orders published to the 
whole people of Israel. It appears more fully in the JS"ew Law, 
as we read in St. Matthew, that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ, upon the point of commissioning his apostles to go and 
preach the Gospel throughout the world, addressed them in 
the following words : " Go, teach all nations, baptizing them 
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost ; and order them to observe and fulfil whatever I 
command you." Hence it follows, that the law was to extend 
to, and bind all those who in future times should be made 
acquainted with the all-saving name of Christ. Under the 
pale of the Mosaic law the Jews alone, as the chosen people of 
God, were comprehended ; and by Jews I mean in the first 
instance, the posterity of Abraham, and in the second, those 
Gentiles who became converted to the Jewish religion, and 
incorporated with the body of that people. But the more 
perfect law of Jesus Christ, widely stretching out its arms over 
all nations and countries, all tribes and people, comprehends 
all, invites all, shelters all, regulates all. It regulates them 
by offering grace, without which the law could not be executed, 
to enable all men to discharge the duties prescribed by the 
law. By grace, or that supernatural aid which comes from 
God alone, we not only are enabled to discover our duties 
laid down in the law, but to discharge those duties as the law 
requires. Moreover, it would not be consistent with the 
goodness of the Almighty to lay clown a law for mankind, 



224 



SERMON I. 



without aDnexing to the observance, or non-observance of that 
law, such rewards or punishments as were proportioned to the 
infinite dignity and unbounded goodness of the Almighty God. 

Further, Almighty God has not only laid down certain 
laws for us to observe, in consequence of his supreme and 
uncontrollable power over all creation, but has likewise made 
the observance of those laws the only title to the kingdom of 
heaven. You have the words of Jesus Christ for it : "If thou 
hast a mind to enter into life ; (meaning eternal life) keep the 
commandments : " observe the law ; that is your title to the 
realms above. Such was the answer given by Christ to the 
doctor of the law, one of the Sanhedrim, or chief council of 
the Jews, who, standing up, interrogated our Saviour what he 
should do to obtain life everlasting. Our Saviour answering, 
said unto him : " What is written in the law 1 and what 
readest thou in it ? Do this and thou shalt live." Unless 
you observe the law you shall not live; because the observance 
of the law is the only means of obtaining life eternal — the 
only title to the kingdom of heaven. 

Stop a while, my brethren, and consider with me whether 
or not this great and fundamental principle of religion — the 
observance of the law, be the prevailing principle in the actions, 
the governing . principle in the conduct of modern Christians. 
This reflection is far from gratifying either you or me. Modern 
Christians are fashionable Christians ; that means, people, who, 
conforming to custom, acknowledge and believe in God, but no 
farther. All ceremonies and sacraments to them are mummery. 
" Nature made man lord of the creation, free like air, and 
gave him senses to be indulged, not repressed." Such is the 
philosophy of modern Christians. And to this philosophy, if 
I may apply so fine a word to so foul a subject, are owing all 
the evils of this life, and all the miseries of the next. For 
thus modern Christians would fain go to heaven, not by ful- 
filling the law, but by transgressing it; not by incidental 
transgression, but by deliberate and systematic violation, 
and defiance of all law and power. 

As I hope that none of you, my brethren, are fashionable 
Christians in the sense I have touched upon : as I hope such 
black iniquity is not applicable to any one of you, I shall 
spare you and myself the trouble of combating and reproving 
it ; but you should know that so soon as the stamp of 
Christianity is affixed on us by baptism, from that moment 
forward, to the last moment of life, we are bound by the laws 
of God, and obliged, under pain of reprobation, to fulfil the 
whole law. Thus a soldier who enters the service of his prince. 



ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW. 



225 



is bound to obey and conform to such military laws, as are or 
Lave been enacted, however severe or difficult in the execution. 
But the laws of men differ from the laws of God in this : that 
the laws of men are often severe in their object, difficult in 
execution, and wrong in principle. Were I disposed to 
illustrate this argument by point proof, the history of my own 
country would afford me ample field, provided I may call that 
country my own where I am ignored by the laws, although the 
soil gave me birth : but such discussion ill becomes a minister 
of a crucified God, to preach whom and his holy laws for the 
instruction and government of your lives is his only duty, and 
to show that whilst the laws of man are sometimes hard and 
difficult, the laws of God are never so ; and in this all true 
servants of Christ agree, as Jesus Christ has said : "My yoke 
is sweet and my burthen light." 

Although you join me most heartily in condemning fashion- 
able Christians, still, I beseech you, turn your thoughts from 
those whom the follies and allurements of life draw away from 
the observance of the law of God, to the manner you fulfil the 
law, who are not drawn away by such temptations. Can it be 
true, and still deplorably true it is, that you who profess 
yourselves servants of the Lord, and look up to his holy 
residence, you who daily venerate in our tabernacles the great 
eternal God, who made you and shall judge you — you 
who manifest a Christian-like docility in favouring me 
this day with your attendance should still offend and insult 
the most high God, more than the heathen 1 The heathen 
knows not the Lord God, nor his holy law : you do, and still 
you disobey his law. You curse and swear — blasphemy, 
detraction, lying, drunkenness, and debauchery, are your 
familiar exercises. 

Some comply occasionally with the law, like time servers, 
but never fail to transgress it when their interest or their for- 
tune is at stake. And yet such people expect to be saved — 
How, without fulfilling the law 1 Lord God, how great is this 
error ! Are you still ignorant that salvation can never be 
obtained but by a faithful compliance with the law ? This is 
the covenant made between God and Moses, on behalf of the 
people : this the covenant that Jesus Christ has made with all 
his disciples — the condition upon which heaven alone can be 
obtained, and the promises of God fulfilled under the New Law. 
Without a faithful observance of the law, all other acts of 
religion will never bring you to life everlasting. Although 
you should fast and pray, and give alms ; although you should 
fill his temple with oblations, cover his altars with gifts, and 



226 



SERMON L 



pass away whole days in prayer, all these will not avail to 
obtain the end that every human being should have in view, 
the glory of heaven, unless you be sincerely and effectually 
disposed to fulfil the law, and the whole law, upon every occasion, 
let the loss or danger to yourself be what it may. 

It follows then, that as the number are few who are thus 
sincerely attached to the law, few are they who will be saved. 
I acknowledge it — but the perdition of the great bulk even of 
Christians is not owing to the law, for the law is plain, 
practicable, and even easy in the execution ; not to Almighty 
God, for he offers us abundant grace to fulfil the law, and even 
incites us by the grandest promise — heaven, and deters us 
from disobedience by the severest penalties — pain and punish- 
ment, both eternal ; but to the preverseness of our will and 
conduct, in refusing submission to the law, or informing our- 
selves of what it enjoins and forbids. Stop your career, this 
day, in the broad road that leads to death, and, as holy David 
did, place "the law of God in the midst of your hearts." 
Convince yourselves that you never will be saved unless you 
are sincerely attached to the law, so as to make it the rule of 
your whole conduct. This alone is serving the Almighty God 
"in spirit," as St. Paul directs; this alone is paying Jesus 
Christ the true adoration he requires from all his followers ; 
this, in a word, is attaining that true justice, so very different 
from the false justice of the Pharisees, which the Almighty 
demands at our hands, as the indispensable, the only title to the 
kingdom of heaven. This salutary justice consists, as I 
have shown you, in an inviolable attachment to the law, 
which forms the foundation for that regular compliance with 
the law, whereon the beautiful structure of a Christian life 
appears, which I bound myself concisely and plainly to show 
you in the sequel. 

Second — It is not enough to have an inviolable attachment 
to the law — the injunctions it contains must likewise be ful- 
filled in the order and manner prescribed by the law. Por the 
better understanding of this, you must know the law contains 
various observances of different kinds ; some more material 
than others. The material observances are called, by divines, 
the precepts of the law ; those less material, counsels, or points 
of perfection. Now in order to fulfil the law properly and 
regularly, we should always begin with the precepts or points 
of indispensable obligation. — For this is the rule our Lord and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ, lays down in the Gospel, when he says : 
" These things (the precepts or material points) you ought to 
do, and not leave the others undone" — from whence it clearly 



ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW. 



227 



follows, that our first care should be to discharge every essen- 
tial obligation, before we would think of points of greater 
perfection. To do otherwise would be running counter to the 
directions of the eternal wisdom of God, and consequently 
mistaking a shadow and glaring appearance for the substance 
and reality of virtue — it being impossible that anything can be 
virtuous or good which does not square with the rules and 
maxims of Jesus Christ. 

Although the precepts of the law must always take precedence 
of the counsels, although the counsels of the law never can be 
deemed virtuous, unless preceded by the precepts, or built upon 
the accomplishment of the essential points of the law; still this 
is one of the most prevailing disorders in the world. I appeal 
to your own experience, how often do we behold persons 
occupied in the more perfect observances, while at the very 
time they utterly neglect the most material obligations of the 
law ! We shall see this great and general abuse of common 
reason more clearly by a few examples. 

This citizen is extremely hospitable, kind to strangers, gene- 
rous to his acquaintances, and even benevolent to the poor — 
but then he never thinks of paying his just debts, either to 
the merchant who supplied him with goods, or to the friend 
who advanced his money to relieve him in distress, or to the 
servant, or workman, who spent many long, laborious days in 
his ungrateful service. People of this description are not un- 
common in the world — but let them know the works of justice 
should go before hospitality, generosity, or charity. Charity 
in this case loses its claim to virtue : to make it a virtuous 
act, it must not trample upon, but be supported and borne 
up by justice. Strict justice is seen in all the dealings of that 
fair female, whose religious disposition, and pious conduct, 
daily edifies the Church ; whose long and pensive prayer, 
sublime and heavenly contemplation begin and close each 
day : but as the Holy Ghost says in the Revelations, "I have 
a word or two" for her. Her flippant tongue detracts and 
slanders ; her lips, occupied every morning and evening in 
praising the holy name of God, invoking his mercies, and 
deprecating his justice, are seen in every company running 
down her acquaintance or neighbours with keen invective or 
bitter gall. That mercy she daily calls for, she daily refuses 
to her absent, unoffending neighbour, whose failings are 
magnified, whose intentions are blackened, and even whose 
virtuous actions are besmeared by the keen poison of her 
venomous tongue. But know, fair traducer, full of false piety, 
that the law of God requires charity towards your neighbour 



228 



SERMON L 



before all things — before this mock piety and pretended godli- 
ness, which insults, not honours ; provokes, not appeases, the 
Majesty of heaven — that charity is required by the law, which 
spares and protects character, veils over failings, praises good 
intention, and honours virtuous actions. 

In others, indeed, is seen an exemption from this blemish : 
a foul mouth forms no part of their character. Nakedness, 
hunger, and sickness, exhibit the monuments of their well- 
known charities : the people where they live find always in 
them able guardians of property, kind protectors of fame — 
religion also finds in them warm advocates, zealous for the 
glory of God, and the advancement of virtue. But still religion 
weeps over their failings — they never forgive an injury — 
offend them in any degree, and you are sure ever to find them 
bitter enemies. As in heathen Rome, the Vestal virgins always 
kept a lighted fire in their temple, so those Christians by name 
keep kindled in their hearts the unhallowed fire of abomin- 
able resentment, which, growing strong by time, bursts forth 
and dies away in the offender's ruin. To treasure up resent- 
ment for a convenient opportunity, is one of those acts most 
degrading to human nature. With such people the law of 
God is but a sound without a name. If any one in this 
assembly harbours resentment, malice, anger, or hatred, let 
him uproot it and cast it off, as a serpent in the bosom, or fire 
in the hand ; otherwise the mercies of the Lord can never alight 
on such people : for you are bound by the law, before charity 
or zeal, to show mercy, clemency, and forgiveness ! 

Once more allow me to call your attention to another 
description of Christians, very fond of certain austerities and 
devotions of their own devising. Their exalted virtue disdains 
walking in the common road, the beaten track, with the rest 
of the faithful ; nor can they relish any practice of piety 
which may be known unto and observed by the crowd. Like 
the unhappy Gentoos who inhabit the Eastern countries of 
Asia, they form to themselves fantastical ideas of honouring 
the Divinity. Utterly reverse to that plain, easy, regular, but 
unaffected deportment, which is the true character of unfeigned 
godliness, and was so very discernible in Jesus Christ himself, 
they always aim at something extraordinary and out of the 
common road. Everything of this kind they are strictly 
observant of ; but they make no difficulty to omit the acts of 
self-denial commanded by the Church, in certain seasons 
sacred to penance and humiliation ; nor will they condescend 
to join with the faithful in the solemn and public worship, 
which is paid in our holy temples, on stated days, unto the 



ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW. 



229 



Lord. But let such people know, if any such there be here, 
that what the law requires before all things, before their pre- 
tended illustrations and imaginary perfections, is obedience ; 
because the Holy Ghost says, by the voice of the prophet 
Samuel, " obedience is better than sacrifice." Let them con- 
sider well the ponderous words of St. Paul : " The angel of 
darkness sometimes transforms himself into an angel of light," 
to seduce and lead astray all vain, aspiring, and presumptuous 
minds, into the most pernicious errors and shameful illusions. 

This is certainly the case with a great many who pass for 
pious and godly souls in the opinion of the undiscerning 
crowd ; but are quite otherwise before the all-discerning eyes 
of God, inasmuch as they neglect, amidst all their apparent 
godliness, the most material points of the law : the very 
points they should always begin with, conformably to the 
orders of Jesus Christ. The evils I complain of, this false 
virtue, which is but a mask for the blackest crimes, are not 
confined to our days alone. Except in the primitive Church, 
where also we find an infamous Simon, the evil had existed in 
every age and in every country. St. Austin complains bitterly 
that this evil was common among the faithful in Africa in his 
days. He knew many who thought nothing of getting drunk, 
and running into other criminal excesses, but were most 
scrupulously exact in wearing a white garment during the first 
eight days after their baptism. This is the foliage, not the 
fruit — the shadow, not the substance — the name, not the 
spirit of our holy religion. Here is not that virtue, that full 
observance of the law which Jesus Christ requires at our 
hands, as the only title to the kingdom of heaven. No : it is 
no more or less than a Pharisaic virtue, a virtue reproved by 
Jesus Christ, and declared by him to be insufficient for obtain- 
ing life everlasting. This is the virtue our Saviour lashes so 
severely in the Gospel. Here are his words, they abound in 
deep instructions : listen to them. — " Woe unto you, Scribes 
and Pharisees, you hypocrites ; you scrupulously pay the tithe 
of mint, and anise, and cummin " (these are minute and 
insignificant herbs), "but then you have left the weightier 
matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith undone. 
These you ought to do, and not leave those undone." 
Would to God the same evil existed no longer ! but the con- 
trary is too well known, not only with regard to the general 
but likewise the particular obligations of the law. 

Besides the general duties prescribed by the law, which are 
common to all Christians, such as justice, piety, and mercy, 
there are other essential obligations peculiar to the different 



230 



SERMON I. 



conditions of life. A general of an army, a governor of a city, 
an administrator of the laws, or of property ; legislators, and 
men iii power, have all duties to fulfil different from those in 
private stations. The virtues of a single life, and those of the 
wedded state, are not of the same kind. A husband and wife, 
a master and servant, a parent and child, have each particular 
relations to each other, which they are bound by the law 
reciprocally to fulfil, so that if a man should neglect these 
particular engagements he is bound to by the law, equally as 
to the general engagements I have spoken of, he can never be 
deemed a virtuous and upright man, let his adherence be what 
it may to those general precepts. For true virtue and upright- 
ness consist not in fulfilling a part of, but all justice ; and 
fulfilling all justice comprehends, it is plain, the performance 
of every duty. 

Besides, as Almighty God instituted the different condi- 
tions of life, for the support of the moral union and harmony he 
intended should subsist between them, it is manifest he must 
require from every individual a steady concurrence towards that 
end, which can never be obtained but by a punctual discharge 
of the relative duties peculiar to each respective rank. It then 
becomes the bounden duty of every Christian to examine and 
search within his own breast, how far he discharges the duties 
peculiar to his state of life ; and to convince himself he never 
will enter the kingdom of God, should he prove deficient in 
this material point of the law. Let every parent consider he 
is obliged by the law, not only to make a proper provision for 
his offspring, in those things that relate as well to food and 
raiment, as to settlement in life ; but likewise to educate 
them in the love and fear of God ; inciting them continually 
to virtue by word, but chiefly by example ; and frequently 
inculcating on their tender minds the great principles of 
religion — the love, respect, and fidelity due to the Almighty 
God, the great and noble rewards that are promised unto 
those who love and serve him ; and the dreadful punishments 
decreed against all such as transgress his holy laws. Let 
every master likewise consider, that he is bound by the law, 
not only to pay his servants honestly, and all those who derive 
under him, but also to prevent their offending Almighty God 
before his eyes, as far as his influence can extend, conformable 
to the rules of discretion ; he is further bound to inspect into 
their conduct, as far as lies in his power, and see that they 
discharge their Christian duties. 

Men in power should likewise consider that in their public 
characters they are the representatives of heaven ; and conse- 



ON THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW. 



231 



quently bound by the law not to " make use of weights and 
weights, measures and measures : " that is, not to act with the 
least degree of partiality ; but do justice to every man with- 
out favour or affection. Thus, and thus alone, you fulfil the 
law, by fulfilling it in the order and manner prescribed by the 
law. But instead of observing the law in this Christian-like 
manner, the great bulk of people scarcely ever think of the 
particular obligations they necessarily lie under from their 
different states. Hence it follows that the law remains unful- 
filled, and they become liable to the justice of God, and the 
everlasting punishments he has decreed against all the guilty 
transgressors of the law. 

From what has been said, we are all bound to draw some 
just inference for the future government of our lives ; for this 
sermon will rise up in judgment against you unless you derive 
some advantage therefrom. The Spirit of God directs you in 
making this inference: "fear God and keep his commandments, 
for this is the business of every man." The great and impor- 
tant business for which we all came into life, was truly to fear 
God, to love him and keep his commandments, and observe 
his holy laws. To observe his holy laws is in one word the 
whole duty of man. But how far have we discharged this 
duty hitherto 1 Who, or where is he that can say, as that 
virtuous youth mentioned in the Gospel said unto our Saviour 
himself, that he had kept the commandments from his very 
infancy 1 In this particular we must all be silent — instead of 
assuring Jesus Christ that we observed his laws from our 
infancy, very few of us can scarcely assure him that any one 
day passes over without some remarkable transgression, some 
gross violation of the divine law. 

The more unhappy we are by our frequent transgressions, 
the more necessary it is to call this day on the Lord for 
mercy, to deplore our past transgressions of the law in the 
bitterness of our hearts ; to entreat forgiveness, and to ground 
this application on a firm, lasting, solid resolution, to fulfil the 
law faithfully to the last period of our lives. Almighty God 
commands you to act in this manner ; and he offers you his 
all-powerful assistance in the performance of these salutary 
purposes. His mighty hand he stretches out in aid of feeble 
human nature. He invites, he calls, he longs to see his 
strayed sheep return. All the endearments of love he uses for 
your conversion, for he is the God of love ; but beware how 
you slight them this day, lest you might feel him " the roar- 
ing Lion of Israel." Eternal happiness he promises to all those 
who fulfil the law ; at the same time he denounces eternal 



232 



SERMON II. 



misery, eternal pain, against all those who refuse fulfilling the 
law, and obeying its precepts. Remember, and let it sink 
deep into your minds — remember it is a God who promises ; a 
God who threatens. What God promises he certainly will 
fulfil, he must fulfil ; because he is essentially true to his 
word ; essentially true to his glory and honour. What God 
threatens must also necessarily come to pass ; because his jus- 
tice is supported by inconceivable power; and this justice can 
never be appeased, the time of mercy being once expired. The 
term for mercy is this life. To you or me this life may end 
this year, or perhaps this week. These are awful motives for 
conversion. Is it possible to exhibit stronger incitements, 
than heaven on one side with all its joys, and hell on the other 
with all its torments 1 The one confers all that is desirable — 
the other entails all that is dreadful. The one is the glorious 
reward of all those who observe and fulfil the law — the other, 
the terrible punishments of all its guilty transgressors ! "Keep 
therefore, the law, and the law will keep you ; " the Holy 
Spirit says so; but how? — It will protect you from the anger 
of God in the last day, the day of wrath ; it will save you 
from the lake of fire and brimstone; and put you in possession 
of the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



SERMON II. 

ON CONFESSION. 

" Go, shew yourselves to the priests ; and it came to pass, that as they 
went, they were cleansed." — St. Luke, c. xvii., v. 14. 

Nothing could be easier for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ, than to grant, without limitation or restriction, the 
prayer of the ten lepers, mentioned in the Gospel whence I 
have taken my text, who earnestly entreated his pity and 
compassion. Yet it appears, that instead of granting their 
request, as he usually did, on the first application, he was 
pleased to send them to the priests, whose function it was, 
under the Mosaic law, to judge of those that had been cured 
of the leprosy, that they might, after such cure, be incorporated 
with the people, and restored to all the privileges and occupa- 
tions of social life. Jesus Christ would not cure them until 
they had set forward towards the place to which they were 
directed : "as they went they were cured." 

Whence proceeds a conduct so singular, so unusual in our 
Lord I As every action of his life had some great object in 
view, this surely was intended to prepare the way for the 



ON CONFESSION. 



acknowledgement of that power in his ministers, whereby we 
are cured of a much more dangerous disease than the leprosy 
of the body, I mean the leprosy of the soul by sin. Thai 
judiciary power vested in and exercised by the Levites in the 
Old Law, was but a figure of that power which Christ Jesus has 
vested in his Church, and delegated to her pastors, to examine 
the maladies of the soul, and cure them. 

The priests of the New Law, St. Cbrysostom says, in his third 
book upon the priesthood, have not only a power of judging 
of the cure, as in the old dispensation, but likewise of curing 
the very soul from all the disorders of sin. This power they 
exercise in the tribunal of Penance, where, on the part of God, 
they daily grant the forgiveness of sins to such as present 
themselves after due preparation, with the necessary disposi- 
tions of conscience. The sacrament of Penance or Confession, 
instituted by Jesus Christ, and which is productive of such 
wonderful benefits to the world as to raise sinful man to grace 
and friendship with his Maker, is by a licentious depravity 
rejected as a mere machine of human invention. Whilst 
many are unacquainted with its virtue and excellence — some 
neglect — others abuse it. Yes, Lord Jesus ! thy enemies now, 
as the Scribes and Pharisees of old, spurn at thy favours, and 
abuse the choicest blessings. They confess thee, Lord, it is 
true, but not their sins — and false principles supersede thy 
holy, infallible, unerring maxims. The humiliations of Con- 
fession are shocking to them ; but let them be so no longer, 
O Lord ! for they are thy creatures, the image of thy likeness. 
Give them docile hearts, and thy servant instructive words, in 
pointing out Confession as the only road that leads from the 
death of sin to the life of grace. Come then, my brethren, 
and attend me in exploring the great blessings that follow a 
good, and the great evils that follow a bad confession — a 
sacrament conferring life on the one hand, and death on the 
other. 

In the first place, you shall see that the sacrament of Con- 
fession is in itself a fruitful source of sanctification ; and in 
the second, that by our own faults, we often make it the cause 
of our own condemnation. 

First — All the sacraments in general were instituted for and 
do greatly contribute to our sanctification ; but not all alike. 
Some do not confer spiritual life, but only serve to augment 
and preserve it. Others do confer it, and likewise contribute 
greatly to preserve it. Now Confession, or the sacrament of 
Penance, is of this kind. It is the means whereby we obtain 
the forgiveness of sin, and likewise a powerful preservative 

Q 



234: 



SERMON II. 



against it. Hence it follows that Confession .must be in itself 
a most particular source of sanctification. 

That Confession is the means whereby we obtain the for- 
giveness of sin, appears from the powers our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ gave unto his apostles, as laid down in the Gospel : 
" Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; whose sins ye remit, they shall 
be remitted unto them, and whose sins ye retain, they shall 
be retained." It cannot be denied, from these words, that the 
apostles had a power of remitting and retaining sins. Nor can 
it be denied that this power so conferred has been transmitted 
by the apostles to their successors in the ministry : otherwise 
Almighty God would have dealt less merciful by one part of 
the faithful than the rest, by depriving these of the most 
powerful means of salvation. This power of remitting or 
retaining sin, which was conferred on the apostles, and is still 
subsisting in their successors, could not, nor cannot be 
exercised but by Confession. For be pleased to observe, that 
the apostles, in virtue of the power they had received from 
Jesus Christ, were authorized not only to remit, but also to 
retain. Now, in order to discharge their ministry properly, it 
was necessary for them to know when to remit and when to 
retain ; and this they could never know but by the means of 
Confession. For by Confession alone could they be informed 
of the secret dispositions of sinners, the multiplicity and 
heinousness of their sins, and the sincerity of their repentance ; 
whence it follows again, that as the power of remitting sins 
could not be exercised but by means of Confession, Con- 
fession must be a means whereby we obtain the forgiveness 
of sin. 

The apostles being men, although endowed with great gifts, 
still not knowing the state of a sinner by intuitive knowledge, 
they must be at a loss when to forgive or retain sin, except 
by the confession or declaration of the sinner; and hence 
Confession became an obligation or duty upon all mankind, 
as all mankind are sinners. The obligation of Confession is 
anterior to Christianity. Among the ordinances laid down 
for the people of God. as recorded in the book of Numbers, 
it is specially ordered, not by Moses the great legislator, nor 
by any of the prophets, but by the Spirit of God himself. 
tt When a man or woman shall have committed any of all the 
sins that men are wont to commit, and by negligence shall 
have transgressed the Commandment of the Lord, and offended, 
they shall confess their sin." Confession then became the 
ordinary means that Almighty God had established for the 
recovery of his grace, after it had been lost by sin : but what 



ON CONFESSION. 



235 



had been only a precept in the Old, was raised to the dignity 
of a sacrament in the New Law. 

We find by St. Matthew how zealous the primitive Chris- 
tians were in " confessing their sins " after being baptized by 
St. John in the Jordan ; and that zeal which distinguished 
them in all their religious actions, I wish most earnestly to 
propose for your imitation. The apostle St. James, addressing 
the faithful, charges them " to confess their sins to one ano- 
ther." To whom is this Confession to be made? To the 
faithful, in general ; or to any in particular who have no 
power or authority in spirituals ? By no means ; the very 
supposition of such an idea carries absurdity on the face of it. 
To whom, then, is Confession to be made 1 Undoubtedly to 
the ministers of Christ, who received in their ordination, from 
the successors of the apostles, the power of remitting and 
retaining sin, in the very same words in which Jesus Christ 
addressed his apostles : "Receive ye the Holy Ghost j whose 
sins ye remit, they shall be remitted unto them ; and whose 
sins ye retain, they shall be retained." To the ministers of 
God alone Confession is to be made, as they alone possess the 
power of remitting sin ; and that forgiveness follows from con- 
fession thus made (the necessary dispositions of the heart 
always supposed) is further supported by the first epistle of St. 
John : " If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to for- 
give us our sins, and cleanse us from all iniquity." From the 
authority of the holy scriptures, respecting the institution of 
Confession and the means afforded thereby to the faithful to 
obtain forgiveness of sins, it appears to me unnecessary to 
recur to any other. For your edification I shall just touch 
upon the constant and universal practice of Christians in every 
age to confess their sins to the ministers of Christ. 

When the light of faith was spreading over the eastern 
parts of Europe by the labours of St. Paul, it is related in the 
Acts of the Apostles, that at Ephesus, a considerable city 
among the Grecian states, all the people of that city, both 
Jews and Gentiles, being struck with fear at the miracles per- 
formed by the power of God, " many of them that believed 
came confessing and declaring their deeds." Confession then 
became a necessary consequence of conversion from sin, as at 
present. The fathers of the Church speak eloquent and 
forcible of the benefits and necessity of Confession. The pro- 
found Tertullian, who lived in the second century, says, 
" Confession is made at the foot of a priest, that the eternal 
punishments due to sin may be effaced by this temporal 
humiliation and suffering." St. Cyprian, who lived in the 



236 



SERMON II. 



third age, assures us, "the faithful confessed their sins, and 
thereby discharged their souls of the heavy load of their ini- 
quities." St. Chrysostom, who flourished in the fourth century, 
in establishing the necessity of Confession, addresses one of 
his own flock in the following manner : " Do not say, I repent 
in my heart : I tell you (continues the holy father) that is not 
enough : you must, besides, open your mouth and declare your 
sins to the minister of Christ, otherwise Jesus Christ could 
have had no meaning in giving unto the Church the keys of 
the kingdom of heaven ; nor in saying to his apostles : 
e Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins ye remit, they shall 
be remitted unto them ; and whose sins ye retain, they shall 
be retained.'" St. Augustine, who, after shining as a bright 
luminary for a considerable time in the fourth century, con- 
tinued his labours for about thirty years in the fifth, expressly 
says in his forty-ninth Homily : ' ; To pretend it is sufficient to 
confess to God alone, is to destroy the commission of Christ, 
to contradict the Gospel, and to make void the power of the 
keys ; because the keys of the kingdom of heaven which were 
given to the Church would be useless, and the power of retain- 
ing sins would be void, if such sins as exclude from the king- 
dom of heaven could be readily remitted independently of the 
keys given to the pastors of the Church. 

Hence it appears clearly that sacramental Confession, as 
prescribed by the Church, has, since the primitive ages of 
Christianity, been always considered as a divine institution, 
established by Jesus Christ, enforced by the holy fathers and 
doctors of venerable antiquity, and constantly practised by 
the faithful as a necessary means to obtain pardon of the sins 
committed after baptism. 

The necessity existing now that then existed, the obligation 
necessarily exists also — what the fathers then taught and 
preached, we now teach and preach ; what they urged we now 
urge ; what they declared, we also declare ; that Confession 
(when confession can be made) is the only avenue that leads a 
sinner to the grace and friendship of God. 

Notwithstanding these strong, demonstrative proofs, some 
may ask, if it may not be a lessening to the supreme power of 
Almighty God, to have recourse for the remission of sin to 
any other than God himself 1 This question could only arise 
where the principles of religion are weak. The minister, in 
absolving sin at Confession, acts in the name and by the 
power of God. It is God alone that forgives, that absolves by 
the ministry of the priest. To have recourse, therefore, to the 
means that Jesus Christ has been pleased to appoint for the 



ON CONFESSION. 



237 



remission of sin, can be no lessening to the supreme power of 
Almighty God. The sacraments in genera], which are visible 
signs, were instituted to confer on man the invisible blessings 
of grace and forgiveness. Nor was it ever considered that 
baptism, which was instituted by Christ as a remedy for the 
remission of original sin, is any way injurious to the divinity. 

These are the solid grounds whereon the Church of Christ 
hath always established the belief of this fundamental point 
of our religion. Let it be your pride to believe, and by par- 
taking often of the sacrament, reap all the benefits intended 
to flow from Confession. Let others boast the pretended 
advantage of lying under no restraint with regard to their 
consciences, and of accounting for their sins to none but the 
Almighty God : it is our particular blessing — our inestimable 
felicity to have a sacrament, which infallibly produces the 
remission . of sins : for Jesus Christ has said so, and what 
mortal shall presume to contradict him 1 " Whose sins ye 
remit, they shall be remitted unto them." Since the fall of 
Adam, fallibility, imperfection, and sin, are the sure lot of 
man : they necessarily flow from a depraved nature, corrupt 
passions, and the power of our spiritual enemies : when those 
fall who deny Confession, (and who is he that falls not daily ?) 
what certainty have they of forgiveness after grievously offend- 
ing Almighty God 1 They repent in their hearts, they say ; 
and they may think so. But supposing the God of heaven to 
require more ; suppose he requires that not only they repent, 
but likewise declare their sins to the ministers of Christ, who 
have been vested with a power of remitting sin, and they 
refuse to comply with the condition, what hopes can there be 
of forgiveness in a supposition of this kind ] These pleasing 
and comfortable hopes are and must be derived from the sacra- 
ment of Confession or Penance, which Jesus Christ hath 
instituted not only as a means of obtaining the forgiveness of 
sins, but likewise as a wholesome and powerful preservative 
against sin. 

To comprehend this rightly, you must know, the sacra- 
ments have a double effect. The first consists in conferring 
or increasing the sanctifying grace of the soul, which makes 
us agreeable to God, and gives us an undoubted title to the 
kingdom of heaven : this grace is called by divines, habitual 
or sanctifying grace. The second effect consists in conferring 
actual and particular graces, adapted to the end and institu- 
tion of the sacrament we receive. For Almighty God having 
intended the different sacraments for different ends, as appears 
plainly from their number, whereas one single sacrament 



238 



SERMON II. 



might have been enough for the sanctifi cation of mankind, 
had they not been destined for several and various purposes, 
these sacraments must necessarily be attended with such 
graces as are suitable and conducive to their respective ends. 

Hence it is the peculiar end of the sacrament of Penance 
to heal the soul of the deformity and spiritual death caused 
by sin, and to infuse new life and the full vigour of spiritual 
health. It follows, moreover, that this sacrament must be pro- 
ductive of the graces necessary to preserve the spiritual life 
and health acquired thereby ; so that a man who confesses 
properly, not only receives the full forgiveness of his sins, but 
is likewise entitled, in virtue of the sacrament, to additional 
graces and assistances, by which he is enabled to preserve the 
justice and righteousness he acquired in the sacrament. 

On this account, Confession has always been looked upon 
by St. Bruno, Bellarmin, and all the masters of a spiritual 
life, as the most effectual remedy for curing the weakness of 
the soul, uprooting evil habits, restraining and subjecting 
the senses to the maxims of the Gospel, and forming man 
solidly in the habits of virtue and justice. Besides, all the 
circumstances attending Confession have a strong and imme- 
diate connection with the preservation of spiritual life in the 
grace of God. For let me ask what greater curb can there be 
to our vicious inclinations, to our depraved appetites, irregular 
passions, or the unhappy propensity to vice we are born with, 
than to know that in Confession we must declare all our sins, 
our hidden sins, our most shameful sins 1 the sins of omission 
as well as commission ; of counsel, command, bad advice 
or evil example ; the sins of thought, as well as of words 
or deeds ; the sins that insult the dignity of God by infringing 
any command, as well as those that injure our neighbour 
or ourselves : those sins, in fine, we would wish to conceal 
from mortal eye, and from ourselves also if possible, all must 
be laid open in Confession before reconciliation or forgiveness 
can be obtained from Almighty God. The recollection of this 
circumstance — the awful, candid, full and clear declaration of 
sin to the minister of Christ in Confession, has alone operated so 
forcilfly, as to stop many from sin at the very brink of temptation. 

I cannot dismiss the consideration of the great blessings 
that flow from the sacrament of Penance, without noticing the 
many great and ' heroic virtues which accompany the perform- 
ance of Confession — the humiliation of the mind, the com- 
punction pf the heart, the hatred of sin, the reformation of the 
soul, and a commencement of a true and supreme love for the 
Almighty God. These are the previous and necessary 



ON CONFESSION. 



239 



dispositions required for Confession ; which dispositions are 
extremely capable in their own nature of supporting our 
natural weakness, and guarding us against the commission of 
sin ; so that Confession, whether considered in itself, or in its 
attendant circumstances, is a most powerful preservative against 
sin. It cures, it heals, it renovates the soul, which by sin had 
been deprived of the friendship of God and the fellowship of 
the saints. As in the Old Law, the miraculous pool of J erusalem 
possessed the virtue of restoring sick persons to health by 
immersion, so in the Church of Christ have we a mystical pool, 
which hath the virtue not only of restoring the soul to, but 
likewise of preserving it in the full vigour of spiritual life. 
Should not our thanks therefore be unbounded to the Almighty 
and good God, for having graciously granted so necessary, so 
powerful, so divine a remedy to his Church 1 How melancholy 
would our condition have been, were we deprived of the 
inexpressible advantages that arise from Confession 1 Should 
we not make it our business each day to praise and magnify 
his holy name for so great and inestimable a gift ? Should we 
not likewise show our gratitude, by partaking frequently of the 
blessings that may be derived from this rich, fruitful, and 
inexhausted source of divine grace? It happens, however, 
most unfortunately indeed, that Confession, which in itself is a 
fruitful source of sanctification, becomes often by our own fault 
the cause of our condemnation, as will appear by what follows 
of this discourse. 

Second — As in the order of nature, things of the greatest 
excellence prove most destructive when abused, so do they 
likewise in the order of grace. Confession, which in itself is 
productive of the greatest blessings, may become by our own 
fault the occasion of the most heinous transgressions : for this 
divine remedy, with all its virtue and efficacy, will not, cannot 
operate without certain previous and attendant conditions, the 
want of which deprives it of all its virtue, and even turns it 
into a deadly poison. These conditions are, Contrition, or a 
true sorrow and compunction for having offended Almighty 
God : a full declaration of sins to the minister of Christ, which, 
according to St. Austin, is a real judgment wherein th^ sinner 
acts the part of a witness and judge ; of a witness, by deposing 
against himself, and of a judge by condemning himself to all 
the humiliations and severities of Penance or Satisfaction. 
Now these are the very things people are generally deficient in 
— because they have not commonly true sorrow and compunction 
for the sins they are guilty of, and because they commonly make 
themselves less guilty than they are. 



240 



SERMON II. 



The first essential requisite for Confession is true sorrow for 
having offended Almighty God ; but this sorrow, to be true, 
must be supreme and universal : supreme, or exceeding any 
sorrow that any loss or misfortune in this life could cause. 
Supreme, indeed, would our sorrow be, if, reflecting seriously 
on the deplorable condition to which man is reduced, who is 
deprived of the friendship of God, we beheld the miseries which 
sin draws on us. So foul is sin, that all the fires of hell and 
all the sufferings of the damned cannot, nor ever will atone for 
one sin. Look to this, you who dairy multiply and accumulate 
sin upon sin. Behold what sin is, which made the sufferings 
of a God necessary to wipe away the crime of Adam ! The 
enormity of sin is the same this day that it ever was ; it is as 
unchangeable as God himself, because it is essentially a re- 
bellion against him, a breach of his law, and an insult offered 
to his eternal majesty. 

The loss of God's friendship entailed by sin is so unspeak- 
ably great, that a knowledge thereof must necessarily excite a 
sorrow superior to all other sorrow • not only because we 
incur by sin the terrible vengeance of the Lord, but chiefly 
because we are cast off from his friendship, and every claim 
to the kingdom of heaven. The loss of health, of fortune, of 
friends, the attacks of pain and poverty, prisons, and the other 
calamities of life, which are usually, although improperly, 
called evils, are of little consideration compared to the only 
true and real evil of sin. Those are transitory in duration 
and limited in effect ; these unlimited and perennial, unless 
wiped away by Penance. If sorrow, therefore, for evil could 
be proportioned to the extent of the evil, the heart of the 
sinner should burst asunder, not so much for the unspeakable 
evils incurred by sin, as the ingratitude of displeasing the 
great and good God of heaven, our kind Protector, Father and 
Friend • from whom we receive all, who constantly supplies 
all, and from whom we expect all. But that sorrow arising 
from a feeling sense of our ingratitude, to be valid must be 
universal. It must not be confined to time, or place, or circum- 
stance. No partial sorrow for partial crimes will satisfy the 
justice of heaven. It must comprehend and embrace all the 
crimes recorded against you in the chancery of heaven ; the 
crimes of youth, manhood, and old age, with a firm deep rooted 
purpose of amendment, and of forsaking not only those sins 
you have committed, but detesting all sin, in general, as 
displeasing and offensive to our sovereign Lord. 

A sorrow of this nature, universal and sincere, is necessarily 
attended by strong and effectual purposes of amendment, and 



ON CONFESSION. 



241 



of suffering any calamity, any loss, even of life itself, rather than 
offend by transgressing any material point of the law. With- 
out these sentiments and dispositions, there is no forgiveness 
to be expected in the sacrament of Penance. And this I think 
is a full and sufficient answer to those who do not blush to 
say, that the greatest sinners are always sure of meeting with 
absolution from our hands. No : the Church of Christ never 
promised any forgiveness, but when a sincere sorrow or com- 
punction was accompanied by a firm resolution of sinning no 
more. Now let any one of reason judge whether offering for- 
giveness to such persons as are thus highly concerned for 
having offended the Almighty God, and firmly resolved never 
more to offend him, for any consideration, or upon any 
account whatsoever ; whether I say, offering forgiveness to 
such persons and in such circumstances be an incitement to 
sin or an inducement to iniquity 1 Or if it be not rather 
living up to the spirit of Jesus Christ, who, at the same time 
that he prohibited sin under the severest penalties, was graci- 
ously pleased to promise mercy and forgiveness to all repenting 
sinners 1 

It is not necessary that this sorrow and compunction which 
are requisite for the sacrament should manifest itself by a 
certain outward sensibility. No ; as sorrow is an affection of 
the soul it may reside there in its full vigour without breaking 
out into tears or lamentations. But then this inward con- 
trition of the heart, so essential and yet so uncommon to meet 
with, besides the continual immoralities in the conduct of 
many who frequently have recourse to the sacrament, form 
the grounds of my apprehensions, that the generality of Chris- 
tians, instead of drawing benefit from this fountain of spiritual 
life and grace, increase their own condemnation. For all 
divines agree with the fathers, that no one can be deemed to 
have a true and sincere contrition for his sins, who continues 
in the same sinful habits, month after month, and year after 
year ; because it cannot be deemed reasonable to suppose that 
a man who was deeply and truly concerned for his sins, and 
firmly resolved in the eyes of God to forsake his nearest and 
dearest interests in life, even to lay down his life, were it 
necessary, rather than offend the Almighty God by any con- 
siderable transgression of the law, which dispositions are ab- 
solutely necessary for the sacrament, as I have observed — it 
cannot be deemed reasonable I say, that one possessed of these 
heroic and Christian sentiments in the heart, should so readily 
and constantly forget them, and after forgetting, remain fixed, 
and as it were immoveably settled in the same sinful ways and 



242 



SERMON II. 



practices. But Contrition, however perfect, is but the first step 
necessary to reap the benefits of the sacrament of Penance. 
Confession, or a candid humble declaration of sin to an approved 
clergyman, is also necessary. 

Before we can pretend to make a true and full declaration of 
all our sins it is necessary we know and recollect them. For 
this purpose we should explore the windings of the heart, and 
search into the most secret recesses of the conscience, as the 
Council of Trent recommends, by retiring in private, with- 
drawing for some time from all worldly occupations, and beg- 
ging the assistance of the Holy Ghost. There, sequestered 
from the tumult and busy scenes of life, the Commandments of 
the Lord should be introduced in regular order as accusers ; the 
commands also of the Church, our respective states and occu- 
pations ; our duties as parents, guardians, debtors, wives, 
children, servants ; and examining how far each command, each 
duty, each precept has been fulfilled, neglected, or violated. It 
becomes, moreover, necessary to examine and search the senses, 
how far each has gone astray ; and to probe the principles, 
dispositions, and evil desires of the soul. 

Thus should a Christian prepare for Confession ; holding 
constantly before him the terror of God's judgments, and his 
unbounded mercies, the one to excite fear, the other love for 
the great Sovereign of the universe. Happy is he who behaves 
in this manner ! Do not people generally content themselves 
with kneeling a few moments in prayer, and collecting what 
occurs to their minds at that time 1 " This is all I remember," 
say they : but Jesus Christ will remember their crimes, and 
their criminal neglect in preparing for the blessings intended by 
Confession. How is it possible you should remember more in 
so short a time ! In a few moments how is it possible to recall 
all the actions, all the omissions perhaps of a whole year 1 The 
thoughts you entertained, the desires you indulged, the words 
you expressed, the duties you neglected, and the obligations you 
transgressed ? No, it is not possible. 

If you wish to receive the benefit of the sacrament you must 
employ a proper time in examining your conscience ; as much 
time at least as you would bestow on an affair of great conse- 
quence in the world. A diligent search into your different 
crimes is not only necessary, because it may be made hastily, 
timidly, or with distraction ; it must be deliberate, and with 
due consideration. But admitting this search, or examination 
of conscience, so indispensable for Confession, was diligent and 
deliberate, still guilt is usually attached to this part of prepara- 
tion, because people seldom push the examination so far as 



ON CONFESSION. 



243 



they ought ; they seldom take in the whole of their obliga- 
tions. The necessary time in reason and prudence to look 
into their entire conduct, is not devoted to this branch of pre- 
paration, without which this sacrament, intended to convey 
spiritual life, will surely prove the cause of our condemnation. 

Outward and glaring crimes alone usually attract the 
notice of those who prepare for Confession. Cursing, swearing, 
drunkenness, or excess, are seen and enumerated ; but the 
secret voices of the heart are overlooked : pride and anger, and 
their black windings are passed over. The sins of thought, of 
unlawful desire, the obscene images that fancy delighted in, 
the motions of jealousy and revenge are all forgotten. Glaring 
sins alone are brought into account, but the good works 
they are obliged by the law of God to perform, and which they 
neglected, they do not inquire into. If they rob, or steal, or 
cheat, they will, as they should, be sorry for and confess it ; 
but sufficient and seasonable time is not taken to look into 
other duties equally binding — forgiveness towards enemies, 
charity towards the poor, assiduity in prayer, respect and 
attention essentially requisite to the worship and service of 
the Lord. 

They will inquire into the general duties of a Christian, 
but not into those duties peculiar to their respective stations 
in life. Thus a father will not accuse himself, either for his 
neglect in educating his children in the love and fear of God, 
putting them forward in life, where their morals or their faith 
are in danger, or the scandalous examples he daily gives them 
in his private capacity at home. In like manner, a mother 
will never accuse herself of filling the heads of her young 
daughters with the vanities and the crimes of the world ; nor 
of teaching them by the fripperies of dress, (which with splendid 
means may be overlooked) and by novel-reading, the false art 
of pleasing a mortal, whilst they are left entirely ignorant of 
all the duties of a Christian. Thus also, a master will never 
accuse himself of not keeping servants to proper order in his 
house; of not reprimanding them when they transgress the 
laws of God ; nor of omitting to remind and excite them, and 
allowing them time for the performance of the obligations of 
religion. Thus, in like manner, a servant will never accuse 
himself of doing negligently his master's business ; of dilapi- 
dating, or wasting his master's substance, or suffering it to be 
wasted by others. Thus, in fine, the labourer will not 
reproach himself for prolonging to ten or twelve days, the work 
which he could perform in six. This is the common way with 
most part of Christians, whence it clearly follows, they never 



SERMON II. 



declare but a slender share of their guilt to their spiritual 
judge, and consequently come unprepared for the great sacra- 
ment of Confession. 

But are there not some who take time to search narrowly 
into their lives, and survey carefully the whole extent of their 
obligations 1 God forbid but there should. Of this descrip- 
tion I hope there are many ; but even among these there is 
seldom found that true and sincere sorrow of heart for the sins 
they are guilty of. It is usual with them to imagine they are 
reconciled infallibly with God by confessing their sins. No 
error is more pernicious. Are they truly penitent 1 If not, 
what can Confession avail, except to make them more guilty in 
the eyes of God % If the heart be not truly changed and re- 
formed, so as to renounce sin ; if you be not disposed to sacri- 
fice your life, or a thousand lives, rather than return to your 
sins any more ; the minister may pronounce the sentence of 
forgiveness over your heads, but the Sovereign Judge above, 
seated on a throne of anger, will reverse his decree, as St. 
Cyprian observes, and turn it into a sentence of reprobation. 
For, though the sacraments contain the merits of the passion 
of Christ, those merits are not applicable but to such as 
remove all obstacles proceeding from sin, according to the ex- 
press declaration of the Council of Trent. Can those be said 
to remove all the obstacles proceeding from sin, who only for- 
sake sin in appearance 1 ? No, the first step to forgiveness, 
according to St. Peter, is repentance ; and repentance consists 
in being truly sorry for sin, in humbly confessing sin, and of 
atoning for sin by your future life. 

As sincere desire of atoning by penance, or a cheerful accept- 
ance of any temporal calamity from heaven, is that satisfaction 
which appeases Almighty God for the injury offered him or 
your neighbour by sin, and is essential to the sacrament, you 
are not only bound to cut up by the root the causes of your 
former transgressions, but to fulfil such penance as the minis- 
ter of Christ is bound to impose on you. Those vices, or 
habitual sins you are most subject to, should give place to vir- 
tues which stand in direct opposition to them. The habit of 
cursing and swearing should give way to adoration, and praise, 
and prayer ; of drunkenness and intemperance, to abstemious- 
ness ; of immorality, to virtue ; of passion to meekness ; of 
fraud, to charity ; of irreligion, to prayer ; of incontinence, to 
chastity ; and in general of vice, to virtue. These are the con- 
ditions necessary to validate the great power given by Christ 
to his Church to remit sins; and where these conditions, 
I mean these necessary dispositions of inward contrition, 



ON CONFESSION. 



245 



attended by effectual purposes of amendment, are wanting, then 
every confession becomes a sacrilege, that is, a horrid profana- 
tion of the most holy things in religion, which are the precious 
and inestimable fruits of the blood of Jesus Christ. May not 
this be the case with each of ourselves in particular ; at least 
with many of us 1 Let those, therefore, look into themselves 
who continue whole years, perhaps their whole lives, in the 
same evil habits of fraud and injustice, intemperance and 
lewdness, public usury or oppression. Let those likewise look 
into themselves, who, in their dealings, follow certain j:>ractices 
which are always attended with sin in the execution, since 
the end can never be attained without being plainly accessory 
to corruption or perjury. They go, and are deemed to go, to 
the sacraments many times in the year. But do they go 
with a firm and effectual resolution of laying aside those 
sinful practices that are evil in themselves and evil in the 
execution % If they do not, it were much better for them 
never to approach the sacraments of the Lord ; because instead 
of receiving thereby the forgiveness of their sins, they only add 
crime to crime, and iniquity to iniquity ; which crimes and 
iniquities will certainly end at length, if they do not reform, 
in their eternal perdition. 

I charge you, therefore, this day, on the part of Almighty 
God, not to deceive yourselves, nor be deceived by others. I 
charge you to confess your sins : to confess them in the dis- 
positions I have laid before you, as prescribed by religion : 
with true compunction or sorrow of heart ; an effectual, sove- 
reign, supernatural, universal sorrow; a sorrow superior to 
all other sorrow, and accompanied by a determined purpose of 
amendment ; then you may confidently look up to your 
Saviour, who will say unto you, " Have confidence, child, thy 
sins are forgiven thee." Grant us at all times, Lord Jesus ! 
and especially in the moment of death, to hear these words 
from thy mouth, who livest and reignest with the Father and 
the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 



246 



SERMON III. 



SERMON III. 

ON A HABITUAL STATE OF SIN. 

" Jesus saith to the man who was ill of the pals} r , rise up, take thy bed, 
and go into thy house: and he rose up and went into his house." 

Matt., c. ix., v. 6, 7. 

Great, indeed, were the emotions, and lively the transports of 
joy, which the sick man, mentioned in the Gospel, must have 
felt on seeing himself miraculously cured. After languishing 
for many years in a paralytic disorder, confined to a bed of 
sorrow, unable to assist himself, he caused himself to be 
brought before Jesus Christ; and as soon as he appeared before 
the Saviour of mankind, so soon was he restored to perfect 
health. The restoration of health and the removal of his 
complaints, were alone sufficient to crown his desires, and fill 
his heart with delight ; but they were insufficient for the 
charity of a God : he not only cures this happy man of a 
grievous malady which affected his body, but grants him be- 
sides, by his own divine lips, the full remission of all his sins ; 
"Son, be of good courage, thy sins are forgiven thee." Had 
Jesus Christ suffered him to remain in his sins, the restoration 
of his health could have been but of little consideration ; but 
to forgive all his sins and restore him thereby to the spiritual 
health and sanctity of soul, at the same time that he cured 
him of an inveterate and mortal distemper of body, was the 
greatest favour, the highest mercy Jesus Christ could bestow. 

These were words of the greatest consolation, and capahle 
of raising the admiration and astonishment of those that 
heard him. But what is observable in the poor sick man, 
as we read in the Gospel, is, that he was sensible of his 
misery, so far as to employ the only effectual method of 
relief — an immediate and humble application to Jesus 
Christ. This poor, sick man, full of infirmity and full 
of sin, feels and knows his lamentable situation. He applies 
for relief, where he knew relief only was to be found, from 
the Redeemer of mankind, and he obtains it. But how far 
does this principle prevail among the degenerate Christians 
of our days ? Although many of them are sick of the palsy, 
or languishing in a state of habitual sin, according to the 
explication made of this passage by the fathers and doctors of 
the Church, yet very few are seen to address themselves pro- 
perly to Jesus Christ for his holy grace, to enliven, strengthen, 
and invigorate their souls. Truly paralytic in the eyes of the 
Lord, they take no pains to obtain their recovery ; and what 
is of equally bad consequence, they seem to have no apprehen- 



ON A HABITUAL STATE OF SIN. 



247 



sion for the dreadful situation in which they live. By the 
terrible judgments of heaven those wholesome fears or appre- 
hensions, which always afford hopes of conversion, are far 
removed from those who live in a state of habitual sin. 
Blindly and insensibly they rush on through life in the grati- 
fication of animal sense and corrupt passion ; having eyes they 
see not, ears they hear not : for thy grace, my God ! seems 
far removed from them. 

Once more, Lord ! we pray thee, open their eyes and their 
ears, that seeing they may behold the dangers that encompass 
them, and hearing, that they may hear the words that I shall 
speak. Deeply let them sink in their minds, that, meditating 
on them, they may produce the fruits of a sincere conversion. 
For my intention is to awaken your fears by exhibiting to your 
view the evils that surround you, and the dreadful precipice 
ready to receive you. In a word, I wish to convince the sinner, 
that should he continue his wicked course of life, eternal per- 
dition will surely be his lot. The consideration of any subject 
which involves an infinite, eternal evil, must at all times be 
momentous, but particularly when this evil becomes by habit 
a species of necessity ; for — 

First — The habit of sin makes us at length entirely slaves to 
sin j and, 

Secondly — The habit of sin debars us of all the mercies of 
the Lord. 

First — ISTo slavery or subjection is so great as that to which 
man is reduced by the habit of sin, because then he sins with 
necessity and seeming security. Sinning by necessity is the 
natural consequence of the habit of sin, because every habit 
(it is the observation of St. Austin) becomes in the end a 
second nature. You all know from experience that nothing- 
can be more deeply rooted than the natural affections of the 
soul. The sentiments we are born with always reside in our 
hearts. They may be restrained and checked, but they never 
can be entirely suppressed. In like manner, every habit which 
turns at length to at second nature, necessarily draws along 
with it an influence on the soul, extremely great. If this be 
the certain consequence with regard to habits if any kind, it 
is much more certain with regard to any sinful habit, wherein 
two powerful causes unite to subdue the soul and enslave her 
affections — the effects of custom and concupiscence. Were 
man born indifferent to evil, the frequency of sinning alone 
would tyrannize over his heart, and bring it under the greatest 
subjection. From the bare consequence of custom, the com- 
mission of sin would become as familiar as any one of the 



248 



SERMOX III. 



functions of nature. But what influence must a habit obtain, 
which is supported and strengthened by the most violent incli- 
nations of man, and sanctioned by custom 1 Truly it must then 
exert a lasting, universal, and almost irresistible sway. Now 
this is manifestly the case in respect to an evil habit, born as 
we all are not only in sin, but possessing by nature a strong 
inclination or proclivity to sin. 

This strong and violent inclination to evil, which divines 
call concupiscence, is one of the penalties entailed upon the 
guilty race of man in consequence of the disobedience or pre- 
varication of the first and universal parent of mankind. As 
it is a punishment of the guilt of our first parent, it must 
affect all those who have shared in his guilt — the whole race 
of man. This concupiscence it is that continually urges us 
on to sin. The darkness it creates in the understanding 
makes us often mistake a real evil for an apparent good. The 
violent affections it raises in the heart, make us seek for 
unlawful gratifications ; and frequently content ourselves with 
a false if not criminal felicity. Its influence is not indeed 
insurmountable, but very hard to surmount. Even to check 
it requires our utmost vigilance and care ; and to subdue it 
constantly, the most consummate virtue. Its attacks are no 
sooner resisted than renewed. Like a powerful and malicious 
enemy who lays hold of every opportunity to destroy us, and 
is so strongly bent on our ruin as not to be deterred even by 
repeated defeats from the prosecution of his destructive designs. 

Too fatally successful is our inborn, domestic enemy, con- 
cupiscence, upon the peace and happiness of man ; for it shakes 
the life of man with desires, pursuits and enjoyments, strong, 
eager, and tumultuous ; or with violent storms, with few 
intervals of calm or sunshine. Of this evil St. Paul complains 
when he cries out, " I feel a law within me always acting in 
opposition to the law of reason, the law of sin. It is this 
tyrannic law that hinders me from doing the good I would fain 
do, and urges me to the evil I would not willingly commit." 
If the chosen friend of God complains thus, he who lived in 
times when regularity of life, piety and virtue distinguished the 
faithful, as Tertullian assures us, what melancholy ideas must 
occur to our minds on a comparison with those unhappy times, 
when licentiousness and vice are made lawful by impunity, and 
honourable by custom ; when " desolation hath overspread the 
whole face of the earth." 

By the evil operation of concupiscence, the heart of man 
is en^a^ed, and seems filled with the honours, riches or 
pleasures of this life — the honours, than which nothing can be 



ON A HABITUAL STATE OF SIX. 



249 



more vain or despicable in the view of reason, as they neither 
give, nor add to real merit ; but serve to enlighten faults by 
exposing them to view j besides, being usually distributed by 
caprice or favour, they often fall on the most worthless and 
undeserving : — riches, the armour of sin, which are so far 
from conducing to happiness that they are usually the greatest 
obstacle thereto, inasmuch as they cannot be acquired without 
great labour and pain, possessed without care and solicitude, 
or lost without grief and affliction : — pleasures, or the 
gratification of sense, which have no other effect than to 
debase the mind, impair the constitution, banish peace and 
quiet, and fill the heart with bitterness and remorse : and 
whose mortal taste grows into desire, desire into use, use into 
practice, practice into custom, and custom into habit. If, 
therefore, this inward concupiscence be not restrained or 
opposed, but on the contrary, constantly indulged or gratified, 
is it not plain it must at length obtain over all our actions 
an influence scarcely to be controlled. 

This concupiscence, my brethren, is the hidden source and 
secret spring of that slavery or subjection to sin, which is so 
discernible in all hardened or habitual sinners. Frequently 
are we astonished to behold a person endowed with reason, 
and informed of the principles of Christianity, resigning him- 
self to, and living contentedly under, the empire of the most 
brutish and shameful passions. But our astonishment would 
cease, did we but consider the uncontrollable power, the in- 
born corruption of nature which must obtain over the heart 
and affections of man, when strengthened by custom. From 
the united force of these concurrent causes, it is clear man 
under such dominion must be reduced to a perfect slavery, 
and a real necessity of committing sin. For St. Paul says, 
" Do not you know that you become subservient to whatever 
you obey, righteousness or sin 1 If righteousness you obey, 
you are subjects to righteousness : but if it be sin, you are 
slaves to sin." However great the slavery to which man is 
reduced by the habit of sin, it must be acknowledged it never 
is so great as to deprive him of liberty, and reduce him to an 
absolute and unconquerable necessity of doing evil. But it is 
this liberty, as St. Bernard justly remarks, that adds to his 
misfortune. For if from the influence of inveterate habit, a 
sinner were entirely deprived of his liberty, he could no longer 
sin, nor consequently appear guilty in the eyes of God. But 
because the most inveterate habit neither does nor can destroy, 
but only lessen and weaken in a high degree, the liberty of 
man, two things necessarily follow : the first, that we always 

R 



250 



SEEMON III. 



siiTas often as we comply with an evil habit ; and the second, 
that under the dominion of habit, more especially if that habit 
be evil, it is almost impossible to resist it. 

Under the influence of any evil habit, however deep-rooted, 
however strong, we always retain liberty enough to decline, 
but not strength enough to conquer, sin. Guilty then must 
we be, as often as we comply. But the power we retain of 
not committing sin, is so strongly opposed and so greatly 
weakened by the evil habit we labour under, as generally to 
remain useless and ineffectual. And this may be clearly seen 
from daily experience. For nothing is more common than to 
hear people that are engaged in a vicious habit declare, when 
pressed by the ministers of Christ to shake off the chains of 
sin, to alter their course of life and return to the Lord — no- 
thing, I say, is more common than to hear them declare they 
would if they could, but that it is not in their power to do 
so. Let the most zealous man upon earth press a drunkard 
to lay aside his intemperance, and live up to that sobriety 
the law requires ; his answer is, that though he purposes fre- 
quently to do so, still he cannot avoid drinking, and drinking 
to excess. Those that are addicted to the unlawful gratifica- 
tion of the senses, will tell you they cannot uproot this pro- 
pensity from their hearts. Men of pleasure, of defamatory 
tongues, or idlers, are so far lost to a sense of duty that their 
different occupations are forsaken, their obligations suppressed, 
by the bent of their evil habit. One who has given himself 
the custom of swearing, cursing, and blaspheming, will swear, 
curse, and blaspheme, even when he does not mean so to do : 
so great is the power of custom, and so great is the influence of 
every evil habit on the mind ! 

Dreadful should that situation appear in the eyes of a 
Christian, wherein he is brought under the necessity of con- 
tinually transgressing the divine law, because very little hopes 
can remain for the salvation of one under circumstances of 
this kind. The great benefit to be derived from a reflection 
of this kind is, to dread falling into a habitual state of sin 
more than all the misfortunes upon earth. The misfortunes 
of the earth are loss of health, fame, or fortune ; and its 
scourges, wars, plagues, and }>estilence : these as well as those 
being seen and felt, maybe avoided or retrieved; but evil habits 
draw a veil over the understanding, and obscure from its view 
equally the evil it creates, as the good it withholds. Should 
you at any time have the misfortune to transgress the divine 
law, through frailty or surprise ; take care not to remain in 
that sinful state, but return quickly by repentance unto the 



ON A HABITUAL STATE OF SIN. 



251 



Lord your God ; for by remaining any time in sin, you will 
soon renew it; and by renewing, the habit will soon be formed; 
and when the habit is once formed, you become fettered and 
a slave to sin. In such a situation you will certainly experi- 
ence that you frequently sin through a sort of necessity, and 
what is still worse, with the utmost security. 

Whilst a sinner retains the fear of God, and has some 
apprehension of his most dreadful judgments, there remain 
always some hopes of salvation; because the fear of God being 
an active principle, it may one time or other operate with 
success. Wholesome reflections, a pathetic sermon, some un- 
expected misfortune, the prudent advice of a zealous friend, 
have frequently stirred up sinners, not entirely lost to the 
fear of God, to a true and sincere repentance. But where 
this inward principle is entirely destroyed, or weakened to 
an imperceptible degree, there the prospect of amendment, if 
any, can be but very small. " The fear of the Lord," says 
the royal prophet, " is the beginning of wisdom ; " and conse- 
quently of all righteousness. If therefore this fear be wanting, 
which is the commencement of the heavenly wisdom that 
inclines our minds to God, it is plain nothing but eternal 
perdition can ensue. Now, the immediate and necessary conse- 
quence of a sinful habit is to destroy the fear of God within 
us ; to leave us no apprehension of his justice ; but, on the 
contrary, to fill our minds with the most daring and criminal 
presumption. For every man in a confirmed habit of sin, 
says, like unto the impious man in holy writ, "I have sinned ; 
and what evil hath befallen rue'?" The extraordinary bounty 
of God, who only spares him as yet to give him time to repent, 
makes him imagine he has nothing to fear even for the time 
to come. What should be unto him, then, an incitement to 
conversion, namely, the excessive bounty and forbearance of 
the Lord, is the very thing that encourages him to run on 
quietly and resolutely in his wicked courses of life. At length 
he arrives to such a point of insensibility, as to have no other 
concern upon him than to gratify himself continually with 
the most sensual employments ; like those wicked and har- 
dened wretches mentioned in the Scriptures, who said, " Let 
us live cheerfully to-day, for to-morrow we must die." 

Sometimes the Almighty, to rouse this man from his 
mortal lethargy, is pleased to employ the severity of his jus- 
tice •' but all in vain — his heart is grown so hard as to feel no 
apprehensions even of divine vengeance. No examples, no 
forbearance, no invitations can operate. Amidst the most 



252 



SERMON III. 



and unconcerned as Pharaoh did amidst the terrifying prodi- 
gies wrought by Moses in Egypt. All the great principles of 
religion are entirely banished from his mind — the love of God, 
the fear of his judgments, the desire and hopes of eternal 
happiness. He fears nothing, expects nothing, looks for 
nothing ; at the very time that he has everything to fear, to 
expect and look for. He lives in the greatest security in the 
midst of the greatest dangers ; but the false tranquillity he 
enjoys is of worse consequence than the most furious storms : 
for the apostle St. Paul assures us, " when sinners think 
themselves most in safety, it is then sudden death and 
destruction shall rush down upon them." 

This surely must be the case : for the Lord, if slow, is 
equally sure in dealing vengeance as showing mercy. Danger 
is never greater than whilst it remains unperceived : the storm 
that is seen gathering at a distance, may be guarded against ; 
but that which suddenly and unexpectedly bursts over our 
heads must carry death and destruction along with it. What 
can be more certain (St. Bernard asks the question) than that 
man must perish who neither feels nor fears the fires that 
kindle and burn around him ? Now this is precisely the 
situation of every man in a confirmed habit of sin, as he rests 
every moment in the arms, and reposes on the brink of 
destruction, without so much as perceiving it. The sinful 
dispositions he lives in are the very source of his eternal 
perdition : yet they appear no way dreadful in his eyes. He 
runs on gladly and giddily in the flowery walks of iniquity, 
without considering that every step leads him on precipitately 
to everlasting ruin. Much like the Egyptians, who in their 
fiery resentment were bold enough desperately to pursue the 
Israelites into the Red Sea; but were no sooner entered, than 
the waters, which before stood miraculously suspended on 
either side, rushed down upon their heads and overwhelmed 
them all in one common ruin. Thus it is a sinful habit that 
brings us under a necessity of transgressing the divine laws, 
and reduces us to the greatest insensibility in sinning ; from 
which we have a right to conclude, it enslaves us to sin. Is 
not this the most dreadful situation a Christian can fall into 1 
But how many, perhaps, in this congregation who have already 
fallen into this dreadful situation 1 ? Some of you, perhaps 
have for many years past led a life of continual sin against 
the Lord, whereby sin became habitual. Habitual sin, you 
have seen, tyrannizes over our faculties and enslaves us to sin 
— it does more, it debars us of all the mercies of the Lord, as 
we come now to consider in the second part. 



OX A HABITUAL STATE OF SIX. 



255 



Second — Of all the evils to which human nature is subject, 
none is so lamentable as that arising from a state of habitual 
sin. Sin, however enormous, if casual or temporary, may, by 
penance through Christ, be blotted out ; but to sin by custom 
or habit is, in some measure, to shut out the mercies of the 
Lord, to defy his power, and relinquish all claim to life ever- 
lasting. It is very consistent with the character of man, to 
return by ingratitude and insult the tender mercies of the Lord : 
but it requires other expressions than I know of, to convey an 
idea of the folly of such conduct, in relation to the evils it 
necessarily draws upon man himself. Almighty God, you shall 
see, is constantly watching and studying to make man happy, 
by withdrawing him from sin ; but sinful man will not accept, 
of happiness from the bounty of God, but lashes at the hand 
stretched out to receive him. 

Master as he is of all his gifts, Almighty God distributes 
them, when, where, and in such proportions as he thinks fit : 
" I will be merciful to whom I will." Some sinners there are 
who abandon the Lord, but whom the Lord never abandons. 
This is clearly expressed by the royal prophet, when he 
says — " The Lord is always near unto and round his own 
people. He is with them to-day; he will be with them 
to-morrow ; he will be with them for ever and ever." Not- 
withstanding their obstinacy and malice in resisting his calls, 
and persevering in ways highly offensive to the Divinity, yet 
Almighty God never ceases to look upon them with a propitious 
eye, and protect them as it were under the shadow of his wings. 
The more unworthy they prove, the more the Almighty takes 
pleasure in showing them the greatest mercies ; not because 
they deserve any, but because he is the God of all mercies. 
Like the good shepherd, he seeks, he pursues them the moment 
they go astray ; never rests until he finds them, and after 
finding, puts them on his shoulders, and brings them back 
triumphantly to the fold. When most strongly, most fully 
resolved and determined upon their own destruction, it is then 
the infinite bounty of God interferes and resolves to prevent it : 
for on the very brink of the precipice, he is pleased frequently 
to stretch forth his all- saving hand, to prevent their falling, or 
perishing in the fall. 

Such was the dealing of the Almighty towards Peter the 
apostle and first bishop of his Church : for although he had 
the misfortune, in the hall of Pontius Pilate, of denying his 
Master, our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, with all the 
aggravations of guilt that could accrue from horrid curses and 
profane maledictions, yet he had no sooner denied him, and 



254 



SERMON III. 



incurred by the act the just anger of heaven, than mercy issued 
from the tender looks of Jesus, and pierced the heart of 
Peter ; his soul then became filled with the deepest sorrow and 
compunction, as shown by his retiring and bursting forth into 
floods of tears, as the Gospel informs us, and lamenting with 
emotions too big for utterance the infidelity he had been guilty 
of. 

Other sinners there are, who abandon God, and whom in 
turn God likewise abandons, — but only for a time. Although 
he withdraws from them in fact, he only withdraws to a certain 
distance. Insensibly he draws nearer and nearer, and never 
ceases to impart his holy grace, until he brings them on to a 
thorough sense of their duty. He does not subdue their hearts 
at once, and if I may be allowed the expression, storm them 
by strong victorious and unresisted strokes of mercy. This 
would be destroying that liberty, which, as I have observed 
elsewhere, is the special privilege of man, and by which alone 
God will be served. But then he is continually enlightening 
their minds, moving and inciting their hearts, until by slow 
and regular, but ssire advances, he becomes entirely master 
thereof. Such was his conduct towards David the king of 
Israel. That prince, in a moment fatal to his innocence, 
became guilty of two very heinous sins — adultery and murder. 
Undoubtedly it was in the power of God to convert him the 
very moment he had sinned. But this he was not pleased to 
do. On the contrary, he suffered him to remain many days in 
his sins before he directed his prophet Nathan to reproach the 
king with his crimes, and make him sensible of his errors, and 
disobedience to the Lord. No sooner was the king made 
sensible of his crimes, than he cried out for mercy — and mercy 
he obtained. Thus has he behaved towards the Jews, who 
almost constantly provoked him by their rebellions and in- 
fidelity, to withdraw all his graces ; yet as often as they turned 
their hearts with sincerity to the Lord, so often in mercy did 
he receive them, and deliver them from the sword and chains 
of their enemies, which the just anger of heaven had let loose 
upon them, in punishment of their crimes. 

Let us look farther, and we shall see other sinners who 
abandoned God, whom God likewise abandons, almost entirely, 
almost for ever. I do not mean to say that ever the Almighty 
God abandons even the greatest sinners, so far as to refuse 
them all sorts of divine grace or assistance. No : this would 
be destroying the brightest attribute of the Lord, his goodness; 
for were this the case, the law would become entirely 
impracticable, violent temptations insurmountable, and eternal 



ON A HABITUAL STATE OY SIX. 



255 



perdition unavoidable. Were this the case, thousands there 
are of our brethren and fellow-Christians upon earth, who 
could not pronounce the very first words of the Lord's prayer 
with any expectation of mercy, nor call upon their Creator by 
the tender name of Father, as Jesus Christ directs and com- 
mands all the faithful indiscriminately to do. All sound 
divines are united in opinion, that the greatest sinners are 
never deprived at least of the grace of prayer. But what I 
mean to say is, that there are some sinners whom God 
abandons so far as to deprive them of all the special graces 
and assistance of heaven ; those graces that render it easy to 
subdue their passions, conquer temptation, and fulfil the most 
difficult points of the law. 

Of all those whom God thus forsakes, none are more 
remarkable than habitual sinners; none whom his judgments 
and visible reprobation more clearly mark out as objects of 
future vengeance, by suffering them to grow hardened in sin, 
and, clothed with sin, to descend into the grave. " O why 
will you die," the Lord cries out ; but he cries in vain, for 
the habitual sinner, in rejecting the mercies, despises the 
threats of the Lord his God : but when the dream of life is 
over, he in turn shall cry out, but cry in vain, for the Lord 
shall be deaf to his cries for ever and ever. All this is clearly 
laid down in various places in holy writ ; thus we read in the 
fifty-first chapter of the prophet Jeremias, "We would have cured 
Babylon, but she is not healed ; let us forsake her." O how 
dreadful is that separation which is made between God and 
the sinner ! Thus, again we find the Holy Ghost speaking by 
the prophet Isaias, in the fifty-fifth chapter, "Seek ye the Lord 
while he can be found, invoke him while he is near unto 
you." From these passages it plainly appears, that there is a 
time in which the Lord is not to be found ; a time in which he 
withdraws his grace from us, and consequently a time in 
which he does in reality abandon us. Jesus Christ says like- 
wise in the Gospel; (listen all you sinners, and while you 
listen, tremble :) " You shall seek me and you shall not find 
me ; you shall die in your sins." But who are they whom 
the Almighty God abandons in this manner 1 Those that 
live in a habitual state of sin. For be pleased to observe — 
the observation is of greaj; importance for you to reflect on, 
that as in the principles of religion no one action we perform 
in a state of grace and from an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 
but procures us, in virtue of the merits of Christ, an addition 
or augmentation of grace, so likewise there is not any one sin 
we commit but produces a diminution or deprivation of grace. 



256 



SERMON III. 



I have often before told you this truth, verified by the mouth 
of Jesus Christ: "He that hath shall receive more; but he 
that hath not, shall even lose what he hath." 

If therefore from every sin we commit a privation of grace 
necessarily ensues, what privations, what losses must follow 
from multiplied heaped up sins, and repeated daily trans- 
gressions ! Think on this betimes, you drunkards, swearers, 
slanderers, voluptuous and worldly men; reflect how miserable 
must your situation be who spends years upon years, perhaps 
your whole lives, in iniquity and dissoluteness ; in a continual 
and open violation of the laws of God. People living in such 
depravity as I have mentioned, to whom sin is familiar and 
habitual, must they not at length be reduced to the greatest 
want of divine grace and assistance 1 In this deep want of 
divine grace and assistance, what clouds of darkness must hang 
over the mind ! what corruption, what dissoluteness must 
eternally rule the heart ! 

" The light shall be taken away from the impious," the 
Holy Ghost declares in the thirty-eighth chapter of Job : that is, 
the light of grace, which before enlightened their minds, shall be 
extinguished, or at least shine so faintly as to make little or no 
impression thereon. "My own people would not hear my 
voice," says the same eternal truth, complaining in the eightieth 
psalm of King David ; but observe the consequence, " for 
which reason, I have given them up to the corrupted desires of 
their hearts \ henceforth they shall walk in ways of their own 
invention." This, indeed, is not only dreadful, but the most 
dreadful punishment an offended God can inflict ; because all 
other punishments are not inconsistent with, but rather con- 
ducive to eternal happiness. Whilst the Almighty visits us 
with his holy grace, the greatest hardships we can endure may 
become profitable unto our souls. Under the heaviest strokes 
of adversity, we may, and often do, become agreeable unto God, 
so long as he is pleased to favour us with his holy grace. But 
when once we are deprived of grace, there can be no prospect of 
eternal happiness. 

The loss of grace, therefore, is the only thing that should 
properly be called a punishment, or accounted a misfortune. 
This loss of grace, and by consequence this heavy punishment 
and dreadful misfortune, is the usual, I may say the certain 
punishment of those who live in a habitual state of sin ; as 
appears more fully from what the prophet Isaias says : " Blind 
the heart of this people, O Lord ; obstruct their ears, close up 
their eyes ; lest they may see with their eyes, and hear with 
their ears, and understand with their hearts : and lest they 



ON A HABITUAL STATE OF SIN. 



257 



be converted and saved." It is right, indeed, and perfectly 
equitable, that the Almighty God, who essentially is no less 
just than merciful, no less jealous of his own glory and honour 
than desirous of the happiness of all mankind, that he, I say, 
should not bear for ever the atrocious insults he daily receives 
from all those who frequently and habitually transgress and 
violate his holy laws. 

It is not my meaning to curtail the patience or the un- 
bounclen mercies of the Lord ; but I am as far from deceiving 
you by stretching them beyond the bounds of his ordinary 
providence. Resting on this point, I say, that the habitual 
sinner is an abomination before him, and that his patience has 
limits. Do not imagine that the great God, who swears by 
his holy Self he will never suffer the honour due unto him to 
be given, transferred, or prostituted unto any other, will allow 
himself to be stripped of that honour by daring sinners, with- 
out punishing the audacious and sacrilegious attempt ! No : 
it is incumbent on the Divinity to vindicate his own glory, 
when abused by habitual sinners. His slighted mercies must 
and will at length give way to his inflexible justice. The all- 
powerful hand which dispensed for many years nothing but 
blessings the most valuable, must, at length, take up the bolts 
of divine wrath, and hurl destruction on the guilty heads of all 
the obstinate, habitual transgressors of his holy laws. He may 
indeed manifest his vengeance by temporal punishments of 
various kinds — but the Lord does it in a manner more suitable 
to his dignity, to his rigour, to his unappeasable anger, and 
more capable of satisfying his justice — by abandoning his 
enemies to their own iniquities, withdrawing his powerful 
graces, and giving them up a prey to the never-ending names 
of hell! 

To prevent, then, so great and irreparable a misfortune, we 
are all bound to appease the justice of the Lord by a true, 
sincere, and timely repentance, whilst time yet remains ; for 
when the sun of life shall set — " when night comes on no man 
can work no repentance then, no atonement, but everlasting 
woes shall reward the sinner. Let all you then who, by habits 
of blasphemy, injustice, drunkenness, debauchery, lying, or 
idleness, stand opposed by your lives to the mercies of the 
Lord, be converted I say unto the Lord your God. He calls, 
he invites you by my words to forsake your evil habits, and be 
converted unto him. " O why will you die 1 " provoked as he 
is by our repeated sins, as yet he has not forsaken us. As 
yet he visits us by his holy grace and offers mercy within our 
reach. But I charge you this day on the part of the Almighty, 



258 



SERMON III. 



not to abuse the call, the invitation to conversion he now holds 
out, lest by his terrible judgments he should deliver you to a 
reproved sense, to your own corruptions, and to final impenitence. 
Jesus Christ speaks in the Gospel of St. John : (be attentive) 
" As there is a little light in you, walk therefore while you 
have the light, lest darkness come upon you :" the darkness of 
understanding and insensibility which necessarily follow from 
a confirmed habit of sin. 

This warning which I now give you, is perhaps the last 
powerful grace which Almighty God will give many of you 
who hear me. Use it well, then, by returning speedily to the 
Lord. Guilty as you may be, he is still ready to receive you, 
to forgive yon, to embrace you. The blood of Christ which 
blotted out the sins of all mankind upon the cross, is still cry- 
ing out for mercy for you. Do not lose the last prospect of 
salvation, by resisting continually the graces of God, and 
abusing his excessive mercies. " The axe is laid to the root :" 
a few moments perhaps will fell the tree ; and down it goes to 
everlasting flames. If this be dreadful, as it really is, why do 
not we take some pains to shelter ourselves from the wrath of 
heaven 1 This wrath cannot be appeased but by forsaking 
sin, and returning firmly and sincerely unto the Lord. This 
firm and sincere return unto the Lord cannot be obtained but 
by a particular grace from the Giver of all good gifts. Let us 
therefore humbly and earnestly implore this necessary blessing 
through the merits of Jesus Christ, saying with the prophet, 
" Convert us, O Lord, and we shall be converted." Dispel the 
darkness of our minds, by thy heavenly light : soften the 
hardness of our hearts, by the influence of thy powerful grace; 
loosen, and break, and tear asunder the chains that bind and 
fasten us to the yoke of sin, that we may be able to walk with 
liberty in the ways of righteousness, to the very last moment 
of our lives ; and thereby attain the great and glorious reward, 
thou, God, hast promised to all those who love and serve 
thee upon earth — life, joy, and glory in the kingdom of 
heaven. Amen. 



ON SANCTITY OR GODLINESS. 



259 



SERMON IV. 

ON SANCTITY OR GODLINESS. 

' ' Take heed, therefore, brethren, how you walk -warily, not as unwise, 
but as wise men, redeeming time." — Ephesians, c. v., v. 15, 16. 

There is a prudence of the flesh which consists in studying 
and pursuing our worldly advantages, without any great 
regard to the vastly more material interests of our souls, as St. 
Paul says : " The terrestrial man seeketh terrestrial things : " 
but there is likewise a prudence of the spirit, which proceeds 
from, and directs us unto God, as the same apostle says : 
" The celestial man seeketh celestial things." This prudence 
of the spirit, or heavenly wisdom, constantly urges us in 
opposition to our carnal enemies, " to walk warily — redeeming 
time to be careful in avoiding sin, which leads to death, 
and to pursue the ways of sanctity or godliness, which lead to 
heaven. That time is lost, in the Scripture meaning, which 
is spent in follies or criminal pursuits, and time so lost can 
only be redeemed by works of justice or godliness. Of this 
point St. Paul is a brilliant instance. Before his conversion, a 
formidable conspirator against, and a wicked persecutor of the 
Church of God: after conversion, "redeeming time," and 
atoning for his past sins, by becoming the ablest supporter 
then living of that Church he before persecuted. " By the 
grace of God I am what I am, and his grace hath not been in 
me in vain." Thus spoke St. Paul, from a consciousness of 
having corresponded by his actions to that sanctifying grace 
which Almighty God poured into him. His labours he knew 
were to last only for a time, but the rewards were to have no 
end. This consideration was enough to support him under all 
sorts of persecutions, hardships, and trials ; under cold and 
hunger, poverty and distress ; under imprisonment and stripes, 
and sorrows by sea and land, in winter and summer, from 
friends and enemies. After such afflictions and trials, I say, 
without such afflictions or trials, which of us could say, as he 
did, that the grace of God was not in vain in him ? The grace 
of God, which made St. Paul such a miracle of sanctity, we all 
received ; but the ill use we make of this grace, is the reason 
why it produces not the same effects now as it did in former 
days. In our infancy the great blessing of instruction, and of 
being reared up in the true faith, in preference to thousands 
upon thousands of our fellow-creatures, who by the mysterious 
judgments of the Lord were left in the shades of infidelity 
and error, is a most distinguished grace. Still greater is the 



2C0 



SERMON IV. 



grace of conversion, because sin creates such an opposition to 
grace, that nothing less than the omnipotence of God can re- 
move it. Good thoughts, effectual desires, strong resolutions, 
are all produced by grace ; as are sermons, instructions, counsels, 
the various opportunities of knowing God by the sacrifice of 
the altar, and the homage of the heart. These abundant graces, 
which would have sanctified the savage of the southern hemis- 
phere, we have most criminally abused. How much reason we 
have to fear from the justice of God for this abuse of his grace, 
may be easily inferred from the severity he used to the indolent 
servant for neglecting to make proper use of the talent he 
received. In granting us grace Almighty God proposes sancti- 
fying us, or enabling us to lead a just, holy, and righteous life. 
Of this men in general do not think as they should ; or if they 
do, they act differently from what they think. Piety and 
virtue are words of deep meaning — for reasoning, not practice. 
Be you not "unwise, but as wise men," in following me with 
docile hearts, whilst I combat an error of such magnitude, by 
showing, first, that every man is obliged to lead a just and 
virtuous life ; — and secondly, that it is much easier to lead a 
just and virtuous ]ife than people usually imagine. The obli- 
gation of virtue, and the facility of virtue form the foundation 
of what I shall lay before you. 

First — As the tree is known by its fruit, so is real virtue 
known by the effects it produces in the life of man — sanctity 
and godliness. By sanctity and godliness we are not to under- 
stand withdrawing ourselves entirely from the world, renounc- 
ing our fortunes or friends, practising very great austerities, 
or doing other extraordinary things. ISTo : these indeed are 
frequently the attendants upon sanctity and holiness ; but 
they do not consist in such extraordinary things. True 
sanctity and holiness consist in a faithful and constant observ- 
ance of the law of God. By fidelity on our parts in conform- 
ing to this holy law, it is the bounden duty of all to endeavour 
to attain this sanctity and godliness, as will appear more clear 
from considering the end of our creation, and the spirit of our 
holy religion. 

The end for which man was created was the glory of God ; 
"for my glory, I have created man." The first principles of 
the Christian religion are, that God made man. For what 
end 1 ? To love and serve God. This is truly the great and 
universal end of mankind, which admits of no exception. 
People of all classes, of every age and climate, without dis- 
tinction of rank and condition, high or low, rich or poor, great 
or small, are all universally obliged to love and serve God, by 



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fulfilling punctually" and constantly his holy laws, which in 
reality is attaining and living in a state of sanctity or holiness. 
Almighty God could not have created man for any other end. 
Essentially wise in all his acts, the Lord must have proposed 
some view to himself in creating man : this view is no other 
than his own honour and glory, because everything besides is 
unworthy the Divinity. It cannot be supposed that the God 
of wisdom could have created man immortal, intelligent, and 
free, merely to abandon him to the base and grovelling appe- 
tites of sense ; to the guidance and direction of his passions, 
without laying down any rules for his conduct, without 
recalling his thoughts to, and fixing his affections on the divine 
source of his existence and intellectual perfections. 

A supposition of this kind is repugnant to the very first 
dictates of natural reason : and yet, however hostile such a 
supposition may be to truth, reason, and religion, it is the 
Christian doctrine — I mean the unchristian doctrine — of your 
modern libertines and sensualists. They cannot conceive why 
eyes should be placed in their heads, without allowing those 
eyes to range abroad in quest of gratification however extrava- 
gant ; nor why sensuality or animal desire should be restricted 
or forbidden. Still less will they repress the criminal passions 
of the mind, grown wild by indulgence. But it is your pride, 
I hope, as it should be that of all Christians, to subject unto 
the law as well the senses of the body, as the propensities of 
the soul. To this were you all called. For this end were you 
created. To deviate from this end, by brutalizing our noble 
faculties, and assimilating them to the brute beast of the field, 
is deviating from the end of our creation. The end of our 
creation is most rational, most noble — to know, acknowledge, 
and revere the supreme power of our Maker, by living continu- 
ally in obedience to his holy laws; or in that sanctity and 
holiness of life which is an essential title to the kingdom of 
heaven. This noble end implies an obligation on our parts ; 
and this obligation is enforced by precepts, or laws, to which a 
faithful compliance must assuredly lead to the full possession 
of life everlasting. On the other hand, where rewards have 
been annexed to a compliance with the law, and those rewards 
so grand, so durable, so incomprehensible, it necessarily 
follows, that punishments should also be annexed to the vio- 
lation of this law ; and these punishments severe, eternal, and 
dreadfully horrible. To avoid these punishments and merit 
those rewards is the great end of our creation. We were all 
born, not to make fortunes or cut figures in the world, not to 
indulge but repress appetite, not to mount up to rank or 



262 



SERMON IV. 



station by trampling on justice, and setting conscience adrift, 
but merely to honour and glorify Almighty God, in obeying 
his lafass, and by honouring and glorifying God by such 
obedience, to sanctify our souls. 

The sanctification of our souls by a godly life was the true 
end for which we came into the world. " It is the will of 
God," St. Paul says, " that you sanctify yourselves." But has 
the will of God in this particular been the governing principle 
of our conduct through life 1 So far from it, I dare say, that 
this great and important duty has seldom found a place 
among your thoughts. " Who is he and we shall praise him," 
that reflects seriously on the obligation he lies under of 
steadily pursuing the paths of sanctity and godliness 1 Look 
back into your past lives, and see if you have spent one single 
day in the pursuit of righteousness. Too great an attachment 
to, or too much neglect of your different avocations, cannot 
be called the pursuit of righteousness ; much less can the 
criminal practices, or criminal omissions, to which all our 
avocations are more or less liable. Plays, balls, dress, slander, 
and novels, form the general occupation of those fair ones on 
whom in the eyes of men the world smiles. But are these the 
pursuits of righteousness 1 Do the smiles of the world draw 
down the smiles of heaven ? Much happier, in my estimation, 
is that poor, sick woman in rags, who, with humble resigna- 
tion, lifts up her heart and blesses the hand that afflicts her, 
whilst she sees her fellow-creature and a lap-dog carried about 
in stately pomp. 

The sanctified works of the law hold no place in the 
general estimation of mankind : and hence it is, as conse- 
quence follows cause, or shadow substance, that the precious 
time of life is wasted in idleness and vanity, if not in 
licentiousness and dissipation. That time, granted for the 
sanctification of our souls, is employed in acquiring and amas- 
sing the perishable wealth of this world ; but one hour scarce 
employed in the great end for which alone we were created. 
When life shall end, when those busy scenes shall pass away 
wherein men now appear so agitated, of what avail will be all 
those turmoils and strifes, those cares and troubles, when sum- 
moned to the tribunal of Christ to give an account of your 
administration here below 1 W^hat answer will you be able 
to make, when Almighty God shall inquire of you, in what 
manner you had passed your days upon earth 1 Whether 
conformable to the end for which you were created, by hon- 
ouring God and sanctifying your souls; or in a manner 
consistent with this deceitful world, and the gratification of 



OX SANCTITY OR GODLINESS. 



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animal sense 1 Whether to the glory of God, or the dishonour 
of his holy name 1 agreeable to the light of reason, or in the 
most irrational, if not the most scandalous pursuits ? I take 
upon me to say, that there is hardly any one of you but must 
acknowledge, within his own breast, that he has been going 
astray almost all the days of his life, and continually declining 
from the great end of his creation — the glory of God and the 
sanctification of his soul. " We have been wearying our- 
selves," says the royal prophet, "in the ways of iniquity; 
and continually going astray from the paths of righteousness," 
in which we should have walked incessantly from the moment 
we attained the years of discretion. 

A barren knowledge of this truth, unproductive of good, 
will only add crime to crime. It must be followed by salu- 
tary, effectual, decisive resolution. A resolution superior to 
flesh and blood, grounded on the love of God for you, and the 
love you should return to your God by a virtuous and holy 
life. Humble yourselves in the presence of the great Being who 
made you, who watches, who protects, desires to make you 
happy in the ways of godliness. Look back on your past 
errors with sorrow and compunction. Re-enter the ways of 
virtue you perhaps have long since deserted, and persevere 
therein to the last period of your lives. For this is a most 
indispensable duty ; a duty incumbent on us all, not only 
from the end of our creation, but likewise from the very spirit 
of our religion. 

The holy religion you profess has no object in view, in all 
her - ceremonies, sacraments, and most holy sacrifice, but the 
honour of God and the sanctification of your souls. This is 
the very spirit of religion — to sanctify the heart, and lead you 
on in the ways of godliness. The apostle St. John says : 
" Our religion is holy and unspotted." To this holy religion 
have we been called by a particular blessing from God ; it is 
therefore plain we must have been intended for that sanctity 
and holiness our religion prescribes. This is the argument St. 
Paul made use of to the primitive Christians, as we read in 
his epistles : for after exhorting them to walk according to the 
knowledge they had received of the obligations of Christianity, 
he directs them to " abound more and more," or clailv make 
new advances, new improvements in virtue : on what grounds 1 
" Because we are called not to uncleanness, but to holiness : " 
hence it clearly follows, that holiness is necessarily implied in 
our very vocation to the Christian religion. 

Moreover, by baptism we have been ingrafted into the 
mystical body of Christ, and made members of " that Church, 



264 



SERMON IV. 



or assembly of believers, which Jesus Christ hath sanctified 
with his blood, that they might be without wrinkle or stain." 
By this mystical insertion or association with the Church of 
Christ, we make up a part of " that holy nation, that royal 
priesthood, that people of acquisition, which Jesus Christ hath 
purchased with his blood," as St. Paul hath further said. 
The great pains St. Paul has taken to inform the earlv 
Christians of the dignity of their religion, and the manner of 
their call from the darkness of infidelity and error, wherein 
almost the whole world then lay buried, was to inculcate 
strongly into their minds the terms on which that call, that 
grace was bestowed ; namely, by a sanctified and godly life to 
fulfil the duties prescribed by that holy religion. The same 
instruction the Holy Ghost this day holds out to your consi- 
deration. By a particular mercy have you been called to the 
fold of Christ, whereof Christ himself is the shepherd or pastor; 
often have you gone astray by sin ; often has he sought and 
found yon, and brought you on his . shoulders to the fold. 
This fold, or family of Christ, is the Church, whereof every 
member is bound by every obligation to holiness, as I have 
already laid before you. 

Laying before you those obligations to sanctity and holiness 
required indispensably of every member of the Catholic 
Church, is not fulfilling the end I have in view, unless you 
are all firmly convinced of this obligation ; because a firm 
conviction of those obligations is the first step to execute 
them. 

Have you ever before seriously considered the high rank 
you are all raised to by being members of the Catholic Church, 
and the duties you are bound to by that rank, which are to 
fulfil all the precepts of the Church'? In place of the Jews, 
who by their crimes were cast ofi by the Lord, and as you 
see them this day a sad spectacle of the prophecies and judg- 
ments of the Lord, the outcast of all nations, without either 
country, or prince, or prophet, or temple, or sacrifice ; in their 
place, I say, have you been ingrafted in the mystical body of 
Christ, members of his holy Church, heirs to the beautiful 
tabernacles of Jacob in heaven, an holy priesthood, and pur- 
chased by the blood of a God. 

Those blessings, those dignities will draw down a double 
damnation from that Almighty Hand that now cherishes 
you, unless by a holy and sanctified life — by forsaking your 
past sins, lamenting them bitterly, and re-entering the 
ways of justice and godliness, you fulfil the obligations 
prescribed by religion. Those obligations are so great and 



ON SANCTITY OR GODLINESS. 



265 



indispensable, that no one is admitted into the Church of Christ 
who does not solemnly engage to fulfil constantly all the 
injunctions of the Christian faith, which constitute true virtue 
and holiness. For this end are sponsors required as sureties, 
who answer for, and promise most solemnly on behalf, and in 
the name of children at baptism. Baptism affixes the seal of 
God upon all Christians, who are ever after bound to fulfil 
what they then promise, of renouncing Satan and all his 
works, this wicked world and all its pomps and vanities, with 
all the sinful lusts of the flesh ; and that they will besides for 
ever serve Almighty God, and faithfully keep his holy com- 
mandments. What is all this but a most solemn engagement 
to sanctity and holiness ] Without this previous and solemn 
engagement of resisting the seductions of our invisible enemies, 
and the attacks of our more dangerous domestic enemies — our 
passions, we never could be admitted into or incorporated with 
the Church of Christ. Why so? Because sanctity and 
godliness being the whole aim, the very essence and spirit of 
Christianity, it were the greatest enormity, the most monstrous 
absurdity, to receive any one into the Church of Christ, before 
he publicly and solemnly engaged to lead a righteous and holy 
life, by fulfilling all the laws and maxims of that Church. 
For as St. Paul observes, " what alliance can there be between 
light and darkness ; justice and iniquity ; the children of 
God and the slaves of Belial V Virtue and voice cannot dwell 
together. We must arise from sin, as Lazarus did from the 
tomb, and resolutely follow the ways of justice ; or in vain do 
we glory in being members of the fold of Christ, members of 
his mystical body ; and in vain do we look up towards the 
glorious rewards, the immortal crowns which the Catholic 
Church points out to onr view, and within our reach, in the 
kingdom of God. As you have seen that, according to the 
expression of St. Paul, "you have been transferred from the 
darkness of infidelity to the admirable light of the Christian 
faith ; from iniquity to justice, from the slavery of Belial to 
the glorious and inestimable liberty of the children of God," 
it is incumbent on you in the highest degree to lay aside the 
works of darkness, and pursue the works of light : to 
renounce all iniquity and fulfil all justice, to shake off the chains 
of Belial which now bind you, and live in subjection to God 
alone. 

The great importance of this lesson given by the Spirit of 
God, (who is God himself,) in the words of St. Paul, appears 
from this consideration, and think of it every day you live, 
that your all is at stake ; not the empty baubles of life, not 

s 



266 



SERMON IV. 



its honours, which are smoke, nor its wealth which moulders, 
nor its pleasures which cloy and vanish ; but immortality, life, 
and joy immense and eternal. What is more, if you do not 
forsake sin, which this day on the part of God I charge you to 
forsake ; if you do not take up a virtuous and godly life, to 
which the Church this day sweetly invites you by my ministry; 
in proportion as the graces poured on you are great, whereby 
you see the way of life, and yet refuse to enter, so shall the 
fires below exercise a double vengeance, in satisfying the 
inflamed justice of an angry God, for the abuse of such graces ! 
These are truths, my brethren, you seldom dwell upon : and 
hence arises the deluge of immoralities and vices and pro- 
fanations, which are at once the misfortune and the reproach 
of the present age. No matter how black or numerous your 
sins have been, forsake them this day, and Jesus Christ has 
his arms extended to receive you. He promises comfort to 
your souls, and peace in the paths of sanctity. It is possible 
that some of you have never complied with the duties to 
which you were bound, since you attained the age of discretion 
■ — it is possible that many of you have enlisted under the 
banners of Satan, by constantly pursuing sinful ways ; the 
wicked ways of life, its pomp and vanities — it is possible that 
some of you have never served God, or obeyed his holy laws ; 
nevertheless, return this day, and mercy, grace, and peace you 
shall receive. You have the word of God for it, by St Paul : 
" Where sin abounded, grace shall more abound." By grace 
then we see, and it is grace that teaches us that our whole life 
has been no more than one continued open violation of the 
engagements we contracted at baptism. 

It is not in baptism alone we take upon us the strict 
obligations of holiness. The professions we daily make of the 
Christian faith, in the Apostles' Creed, necessarily implies 
the same obligation. St. John says the same : " Whoever 
declares he belongs to Christ, is bound in virtue of this 
declaration to walk as he did." Yery justly he said so ; for 
what can be more reasonable than that the member should be 
conformable to the head, and the disciple submissive and 
obedient to the directions and commands of his master 1 Or, 
can anything be more shocking to common reason, than that 
a man who professes himself a Christian shall think himself 
entitled to lead a most unchristian life ? No : he must either 
renounce all title to Christianity, or renounce all iniquity ; 
disclaim the Christian name, or fulfil the duties attendant 
upon it. In a word, every man who declares himself a 
Christian, should be in reality, as far as human frailty can 



ON SANCTITY OR GODLINESS. 



267 



admit, a living pattern of Christ ; according to what he says 
in the Gospel : " Be ye perfect, as my Heavenly Father is 
perfect." Following which idea, St. Paul says : " He that is 
just, let him become more and more just, and he that is holy, 
let him become more and more holy." This is a fundamental 
point of religion, and the very first principle the primitive 
Christians imbibed, as appears clearly from their conduct, which 
was so regular in every respect, and so comformable to the laws 
and maxims of Jesus Christ, that St. Paul bestowed on them 
the illustrious name or appellation of saints. But what resem- 
blance do we who profess ourselves Christians, bear to Jesus 
Christ, or even to his first followers 1 The life of Christ was 
never stained with the least imperfection, and ours is composed 
of the greatest crimes, the most heinous transgressions. The 
life of Christ was all charity and goodness ; — ours one con- 
tinued scene of violence, animosities and dissensions. The life 
of Christ was all employed in glorifying his Father ; ours is all 
employed in dishonouring his holy name, abusing his gifts, 
and inverting order. Is this living up to the obligations of 
our holy religion % Is it not rather offering incense to Belial 
at the very time we pretend to honour the living God ? 
Whilst our lives and our actions are so widely different from 
the life and actions of Jesus Christ, how can we call or suffer 
ourselves to be called Christians 1 Let us then blush, in a 
spirit of compunction, at our former infidelity, and begin 
henceforward to be what we should have been from our 
entrance into life — true Christians : or, in other words, men of 
upright principles and holy lives. Bemember this is a most in- 
dispensable, as well as a most universal obligation : an obliga- 
tion grounded on the very end of our creation, and the very 
spirit of Christianity. But how is it possible, you may say, to 
lead a virtuous and holy life amidst the distractions, dangers, 
and dissoluteness of the world 1 It is not to be done without 
difficulty, I allow ; but still I maintain the difficulty is not so 
great as you generally imagine ; and this you will see verified 
in the second part of this discourse. 

Second — To show you that a holy and sanctified life 
founded on the accomplishment of the law of God, notwith- 
standing its seeming difficulties and the infirmities of nature, 
is easy in the execution, must at once be consoling to human 
weakness, and encouraging to all to commence this life of 
sanctity. For whatever difficulties occur in the prosecution of 
the design, and which are always magnified, they must proceed 
either from rigour in the duties of religion, or weakness in 
ourselves. Now, I cannot see, in either view, such difficulties 



268 



SERMON IV. 



as you may apprehend in a sanctified and godly life, and I shall 
endeavour to press my ideas on this important subject as plainly 
as I can upon your minds. 

The duties which religion prescribes, in order to attain a 
state of sanctity and godliness — that sanctity and godliness 
which are essential to Christianity, and a sufficient title to the 
kingdom of heaven, consist only in faithfully observing, and 
diligently executing the law of God, as appears from the words 
of Jesus Christ : "If thou will enter into life, keep the com- 
mandments." Now, I pray you, is this a task so mightily 
arduous as to be deemed almost impracticable in the execu- 
tion 1 Many thousands of our predecessors, by faithfully 
fulfilling the law upon earth, have earned for themselves the 
glory and happiness they now possess in the realms above. 
Their rewards should encourage, and their example instruct 
us how to follow their steps. It is a melancholy truth, and I 
admit it, that no age, no period of the Christian era has 
abounded more than the present in iniquity — iniquity overruns 
the land, and by a strange depravity, vice is reduced to a system, 
and introduced as a fashion. If you have not heard, I have, 
the thoughtless beau, the young blood, boast of insulting that 
God whom he was never seen to adore ! 

Notwithstanding this general depravity which covers the 
world, a few there are, and those few consist of thousands, and 
those thousands are scattered over all nations, who constantly 
fulfil the holy laws of God. The instances are before your 
eyes. Our temples bear testimony to their piety ; old age and 
poverty to their charity ; and all their transactions to the 
regularity of their conduct. And what can hinder you from 
doing what thousands have done, and what several are doing- 
daily before your eyes 1 Is there any one of you but may 
very well, with the assistance of divine grace, pay unto the 
Lord the homage due unto him and his holy name ; sanctify 
the days allotted to his worship : refrain from murder, im- 
purity, and theft ; be strictly honest in all your dealings, and 
strictly true in all your assertions % In a word, is there any 
one of you but may very well, with the assistance of divine 
grace, keep the commandments, which is in reality fulfilling 
the whole substance of the law, and consequently attaining 
that degree of sanctity and holiness the law prescribes ] No 
doubt you all can : and any doubt upon this question is a 
wicked suggestion of your mortal enemy, whom you are bound 
to resist. 

It has been impiously said that some of the commandments 
are impossible to be observed, even by the just themselves, 



ON SANCTITY OR GODLINESS. 



269 



although they should use their utmost endeavours. But this 
doctrine, so repugnant to faith, has been censured and con- 
demned by the Church of Christ, as inconsistent with the 
principles of our religion, and the very notion we entertain of 
the Divinity. How is it possible to conceive, that onr 
Heavenly Father, who is all goodness by nature, should load 
his servants here below, his adoptive children in Christ, the 
purchase of his sufferings, with a burden superior to their 
strength; and at the same time exact obedience at their 
hands, under the severest penalties, under pain of being con- 
demned for ever to the eternal fires below 1 A hardship of 
this kind would suit the character only of the most cruel 
tyrant. How, then, can it be reconciled to the infinite justice, 
the tender clemency of our good God 1 And yet this clement 
and just God would necessarily lie under an imputation of this 
nature, if his commandments, or any one of them, were im- 
possible to be fulfilled. Too injurious to his goodness would 
be such a reflection. He is the God of justice, and he could 
not command what we could not fulfil. He has commanded 
all to fulfil his law under dreadful threats ; all therefore can, 
all are bound to fulfil it by a virtuous and holy life. " Do 
not imagine," said Moses, " that in order to keep the divine 
command it is necessary for you to cross the seas, or travel 
over the continent ; or mount up to heaven to fetch down the 
power of fulfilling it." The power is near at hand : it is in 
yourself. And Christ, the eternal wisdom of God, tells you, 
" his yoke is sweet and his burden light." How could these 
assertions hold true, if his law, which is his yoke and burden, 
were impracticable, or even over severe] Yet the law appears 
extremely difficult : but to whom ? To your lazy, idle, 
vicious characters : to those who make the gratification of 
lawless passion and animal sense the whole object of their 
pursuits — to men who will not submit to the law, but are 
always acting in opposition to its holy maxims It is not 
surprising that the law of Christ, which is so pure as to con- 
demn every vice, restrain every passion, and check every 
inordinate appetite of the soul, should appear an intolerable 
burden, a yoke of iron, unto persons of the most corrupt prin- 
ciples, and the most dissolute lives. Let such people hence- 
forward submit to the law, and do what lies in their power to 
fulfil it. The grace of God will assist them ; and then they 
will know by experience, how sweet is the yoke, and how 
light the burden which the law imposes : for Jesus Christ 
assures them, " Take my yoke upon you, and you shall find 
rest unto your souls." 



270 



SERMON IV. 



No argument I can advance to show that the duties of the 
law, or if you choose to call them, the severities of the law, 
form no bar to that sanctified and godly life which I so 
earnestly recommend, will convince, unless you possess that 
docility of disposition necessary to receive conviction. The 
duties of the law present now no greater difficulties than they 
did at the beginning of Christianity. What the law then was, 
it is now the same. The same duties it then enforced, the 
same rewards and threats it then held out — the same it does 
this day. Eternal as the God that made it : so far, I mean, as 
relates to this life • for in heaven impeccability will supersede 
all law ; and love and joy will reign for ever. 

Now, in what light was the law considered by the primitive 
Christians, in the early days of religion 1 Did they consider 
it presented to them difficulties too great for human nature to 
surmount % No. Did they capriciously set up their own 
judgment in determining the equity of the law of God, and 
seeing some things therein of difficult practice, establish them 
as grounds, like modern Christians, not only for rejecting 
the law entirely, but for resisting and opposing that law, by 
daily practising every crime it condemns % Quite the reverse. 
So far were the primitive Christians from resisting or opposing 
the law, or thinking the duties of the law too severe, that by 
their sanctified and godly lives they edified the Church, as 
St. Paul testifies, and to the severity of the law they 
frequently added new severities of their own. For where the 
law only prescribed a disinterested spirit, or enjoined them to 
keep their hearts disengaged from the riches of this world, 
they frequently gave up all they had to be distributed amongst 
the faithful. Where the law only prescribed a spirit of 
abnegation, or enjoined them to refrain from every unlawful 
pleasure, they frequently denied themselves the most innocent 
amusements, and condemned themselves to continual retire- 
ment and mortification. Where the law only prescribed a spirit 
of fidelity, or an inward disposition and willingness to forego 
the dearest interests of this world, rather than offend Almighty 
God, by transgressing any one material point of the law, they 
frequently courted and embraced the occasion of laying down 
their lives for the sake of Jesus Christ. 

And we shall think it a very extraordinary hardship to do 
what is barely prescribed by the law. Yet we are Christians ; 
but in manners degenerate, in conduct depraved. We dis- 
honour the name of Christian, so long as we act in a manner 
unworthy of a Christian, so long as we refuse to regulate our 
lives by the law of Jesus Christ, who is the Lord and Master 



ON SANCTITY OR GODLINESS. 



271 



of every Christian. How can that law appear so severe now, 
in the sunshine and tranquillity of religion, which did not 
appear severe to the primitive Christians, amidst the most 
violent storms of persecution ? What motives could influence 
their lives, and inspire them with the most heroic sentiments 
of religion, that do not still subsist to usl We have the same 
laws, the same duties to fulfil, the same God to serve, the 
same rewards to hope and look for, and the same punishments 
to shun and avoid. Why, then, so much fervour and fidelity 
in former days, so much remissness and infidelity in ours \ If 
by a comparison with former days, it be astonishing to behold 
the degeneracy in ours, still more astonishing it is, that those 
very people who complain loudly of the severity of the law, 
daily undergo in the world far greater hardships than would 
be requisite to attain a high degree of godliness. What 
station in life is exempt from difficulties ; unclogged, unbur- 
thened with innumerable hardships 1 What toils, what 
dangers does not the warrior undergo in the field, in the 
pursuit of honour'? the lawyer in quest of gain 1 ? the magis- 
trate in discharge of his functions 1 the merchant in carrying- 
on his trade 1 every man, in a word, in his respective 
profession 1 I only speak of the elevated and prosperous 
stations of life. But were I to descend to the subordinate 
walks of life, Lord God ! what toils and hardships, what 
sorrows and anguish would press on my view ! Feuds, 
dissensions, quarrels, and idleness, unsanctified poverty, pains 
and infirmity, blow up the tempest of misery which constantly 
agitates them. 

Now if these different orders of men took half the pains in 
fulfilling the law of God, which they take in violating it, cer- 
tainly they soon would become eminent in the ways of 
sanctity ; that degree of sanctity I mean which is essential to 
Christianity, and a necessary title to the kingdom of heaven. 
Why, then, will you take such pains and undergo the greatest 
hardships to gain a perishable crown, very often only a blast 
of fame, and still oftener nothing at all, and take no pains to 
purchase the immortal crowns of glory that are sure and 
certain in the kingdom of heaven % Is the kingdom of heaven 
of less consequence than the kingdom of this world 1 or eternal 
joys and glory inferior to the empty, unsatisfying, transitory 
gratification of sense? Pursue, then, the paths, I again and 
again charge you, which surely lead by a virtuous and holy 
life to the kingdom of God. Cast away the mist that obscures 
from your view the happiness attendant upon such a life ; for 
the difficulties are not so great as you might have hitherto 



SERMON IV. 



imagined on account of the duties of religion ; neither can 
they be deemed extremely severe even on account of our own 
weakness. 

I own the weakness of man is not only great but excessively 
great ; and experience supports me in the assertion, that it is 
hardly in our power to know thoroughly our own weakness. 
Human nature has been so deeply wounded, and so mon- 
strously degraded in all her faculties, by the fall and prevari- 
cation of the first and universal parent of mankind, that we 
have scarcely anything left, but ignorance, weakness, and sin. 
Since this degradation of human nature the understanding of 
man is clouded with darkness ; but the evil stands not there 
— the will is also reduced to the lowest degree of feebleness 
and inability. From these causes result the greatest reluc- 
tance to good, and what is equally deplorable, the strongest 
propensity to evil. 

The saints in all ages have felt and deplored the evil I now 
speak of. That miracle of divine grace, the great St. Paul, 
complains bitterly of this evil : "That inward law which rules 
within us, is always rebelling against the law of reason ; the 
law of sin, or the impulse of concupiscence (which is the effect 
of original sin) is continually inciting us to sin." When we 
consider human nature in this light, debased and weakened by 
original sin, we certainly have reason to be extremely diffident 
of ourselves, and to cry out with St. Paul, " Unhappy man ? 
who shall deliver me from this deplorable state, this state of 
intestine war, this state of weakness, misery, and death?" 
Besides, it is a point of faith, that of ourselves we can do 
nothing with regard to salvation. Our Saviour, J esus Christ, 
says so : " Without me you can do nothing." And again St. 
Paul : " We are not sufficient to think anything of ourselves, 
as of ourselves ; but all our sufficiency is in God." 

This, indeed, is enough to sink us to the lowest degree of 
self-annihilation in the eyes of God. It should, not, however, 
make us overlook the powerful resources we have on our side 
in our holy religion. For it is no less an article of faith and 
an undoubted principle of religion, that with the grace of God, 
we can fulfil the most difficult points of the law. " I can do 
all things," St. Paul says, " in him that strengthens me. Not 
I alone, but the grace of God with me." Now great 
must be that strength, and powerful that ability, which we 
must derive from the help and assistance of Almighty God. 
Is there any difficulty so great, but we must conquer with 
his aid 1 No : " If God be for us, who is it that can be 
against us 1" 



ON SANCTITY OR GODLINESS. 



273 



This divine grace or heavenly assistance is in some measure 
imparted unto all : for St. Paul declares ; "It is the will of 
God that all men be saved." Now the will of God must 
necessarily be effected so far as to supply all with the necessary 
means of salvation ; namely, with holy grace ; for grace implies 
every aid necessary for that end. This divine grace or 
heavenly assistance is imparted in greater abundance to the 
faithful than to others. The same is laid down by St. Paul : 
" Christ is the Redeemer of all, but most particularly of the 
faithful." This divine grace or heavenly assistance, divines 
say, is always proportioned to the difficulties attendant upon 
the different stations of life we are called to, and engaged in, 
under the direction of Providence. Again, this divine grace 
or heavenly assistance is always augmented in proportion to 
our fidelity and fervour ; as it is decreased or withdrawn in 
proportion to our negligence or infidelity : " He that has not," 
(they are the words of Christ in the Gospel) or, he that has 
not made the proper use of the grace he received, " shall even 
lose what he thinks he has : and he that has," or has made 
the proper use of the grace he received, " to him shall be given 
more." Seeing, therefore, that with the grace of God we can 
fulfil the most difficult points of the law ; that this grace is 
imparted abundantly unto the faithful ; that it is in our power, 
by a proper application to prayer and godliness, to increase 
this divine grace, and thereby enlarge our spiritual strength 
and ability, what excuse can any one plead for not fulfilling 
the law and attaining that degree of holiness the law requires 1 
This reflection made St. Paul cry out : " O man ! thou art in- 
excusable for not glorifying the Almighty God, in the observ- 
ance of his holy law." 

How comes it to pass that Christians feel so little, and ex- 
perience so seldom, the influence of divine grace 1 

This happens either because you resist its influence (for it 
is in the power of man to resist even the most powerful grace), 
or because Almighty God, in punishment of your neglect, 
withdraws his powerful grace, and leaves you only such weak 
and feeble aids as make little or no impression on the mind or 
heart. In this situation — mind this, all you languid, lukewarm 
sinners — in this situation, wherein man appears abandoned to 
his own weakness, everything seems difficult, everything hard, 
every temptation is yielded to, and the law remains constantly 
unfulfilled. Can anything be more dreadful than a situation 
of this kind 1 There cannot, undoubtedly, as it borders on re- 
probation, and eternal perdition. " If thine eye be dark, thy 
whole body must be darkened : " if the grace of God doth not 



274 



SERMON V. 



enlighten you, you can hare no thought of God, no desire of 
salvation, no relish for the things of heaven. 

The grace of God being then the light of the soul, as well as 
its strength, and the only thing that can enable us to fulfil the 
law of God, and thereby attain that righteousness and sanctity 
which are requisite for life everlasting : it follows, we should 
dread no loss in this life equal to the loss of his grace, and 
should resolve on cherishing and improving it by a virtuous 
and holy life ; and further employ the means religion lays 
down to augment the influence of grace, by frequent, fervent 
prayer, works of charity, the sacraments and most holy sacri- 
fice. Using these divine remedies, we shall certainly receive 
such abundance of divine grace as to make the most difficult 
observance both easy and comfortable. Covered with this 
armour of faith, we shall soon learn to resist the most violent 
temptations, elude all the wiles of the evil spirit, and triumph 
over all the opposition of hell. Then shall we walk with 
cheerfulness in the most arduous paths of righteousness, till 
the end comes of our mortal course, when God shall call in 
mercy to make us partakers of the high rewards he has pro- 
mised to all those and to those alone who lead holy and virtu- 
ous lives upon earth — the joys and glory of his heavenly 
kingdom. Amen. 



SERMON Y. 

ON HUMILITY. 

"He that humbleth. himself, shall "be exalted." — St. Luke, c. xviii., v. 14. 
Of all the virtues that shined in the life of Jesus Christ upon 
earth, none is so conspicuous as humility. It seems to be his 
darling virtue— for from his conception in the womb of his 
blessed mother to the last moment of his life, he ceased not 
one instant to be covered with it as with a garment. Observe 
the obscurity of his parentage, of the manger, of his private 
life, of his infancy, and the humiliations of his passion. The 
other divine virtues whereof he is the source, he was pleased 
only occasionally to disclose : his wisdom among the J ewish 
doctors — his power at Cana — his bounty in the desert — his 
charity during his public life : but humility was that virtue 
which he constantly and uniformly exhibited the most brilliant 
example of, in his sacred person and actions, for the imitation 
of mankind— that virtue whereby he wished chiefly to instruct 
the world : "Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart." 



OX HUMILITY. 



275 



However strong the motives are for the practice of humility, 
from the example and instructions of Jesus Christ — from a just- 
review of the miseries that overwhelm us — from our own 
essential insignificance and corruption — from our blindness, 
our hardness, and insensibility in all those concerns that relate 
to our supreme and sovereign good, another motive of great 
magnitude is presented before you in the promise of a 
God ; " He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." He, 
who, of himself, by the co-operating grace of heaven, stoops 
down and takes up the cross, which our Saviour did before 
—who, far from repining or swerving from his duties, under 
the various calamities of life, beholds the finger and 
acknowledges the wisdom and the justice of God in every 
circumstance ; he, I say, not I, but Christ our Lord says it, 
" he shall be exalted." Where ] Not in this world ; look 
for no rewards here below : for here he promises nothing to 
his friends but afflictions and sufferings and sorrows : " You 
shall weep, but the world shall rejoice." But he tells them 
elsewhere, " Your tears shall be wiped away. Your sorrow 
shall be turned into joy, and your joy nobody shall take from 
you." ISTow, "as the afflictions of this life," according to St. 
Paul, " are not to be compared to the glory of the next ; " so 
I maintain that humility being the foundation of a Christian 
life, the ground and pillar of all virtues to which Jesus Christ 
especially annexed a promise of exaltation, it follows that 
humility is a virtue of indispensable necessity, within the 
reach of each of you, my brethren, and that it gives you the 
strongest claim to share in his glory, who was the model of 
humility here below. This I hope to make more plain from a 
consideration of — 

First — The motives that should inspire humility ; 

And, secondly — The benefits that flow from it. 

But vain, indeed, and poor are my efforts, unless thou, O 
Lord, lend thy aid. Open the understanding of my hearers, 
that seeing they may see what just causes they have for 
practising humility. May they sincerely begin henceforward 
to copy the examples of thy meekness ; and grant, O my God, 
that whilst I lay open the paths of life to those present, I 
may never mistake the way myself, by neglecting to practise 
what I proclaim on your behalf to others. 

First — The weakness and misery of our nature, and the 
command which Jesus Christ has been pleased to leave us 
specially on this head, will appear, I hope, to every thinking 
person, such strong and convincing motives for the practice of 
humility, that I need only lay them before you in a plain 



276 



SERMON V. 



and simple maimer, to induce you to the practice of that 
sublime virtue. 

Man, originally formed of common earth, inherits from 
nature the same imperfections as all other animals — want, 
weakness, disease, imbecility, death, corruption, and then a 
return to that slime whereof he was composed. Here is no 
distinction. This is the lot of all — of the great and the 
exalted, as well as the low and the humble, of the rich as the 
poor, of the master as the slave, of the king as the subject; all 
must undergo and feel those various changes, to which the 
sin of Adam levels them with the brute of the field. Our 
souls, it is true, raise us beyond all the visible works of the 
creation ; but their noble faculties are obscured and darkened, 
more prone to error than truth, to vice than virtue. Our 
souls cannot convey the prerogative they possess of immor- 
tality to the body. No : " Dust thou art, and into dust thou 
shalt return." Besides, the time was, a few years ago, when 
your souls had no existence ; for it is the doctrine of the 
Church, that the soul is created by Almighty God, as soon as 
the body is sufficiently organised and formed for its reception. 

How profound, therefore, and how humble should not the 
sentiments of every man be, when he considers that a few 
moments back he had no being at all, and that in a few 
moments forward, he will lose the life he now has ! Must not 
a consideration of this kind satisfy any thinking man, that 
his body is nothing in reality but dust and ashes, and that 
St. Paul was very just in saying: "Whoever thinks himself 
something deceives himself." Let no man then say, that this 
compound of spirit and matter, is endowed with singular 
excellencies and distinguished perfections. The knowledge of 
what man was before the fall, should now overwhelm us with 
confusion. " Little inferior " was he made " to the angels," 
as the Holy Ghost speaks in the words of King David ; but 
the sad evils that sin entailed ou him, both in soul and body, 
are of the most lamentable nature ; so that now, what people 
often imagine, and generally call perfection, is frequently no 
more than vice in disguise. That original probity, that 
virtue, that clear knowledge and pursuit of good, that un- 
clouded perception, that simplicity of manners, that full 
possession of unmixed ease and happiness, which made man 
little less than an angel, when he came from the hands of 
God, are now, alas ! unknown. 

Could we but penetrate into the dark foldings of the hearts 
of those we generally call the greatest and the best of men, 
Lord God ! what sentiments should we not behold ] There 



ON HUMILITY. 



277 



we should see, that what we call generosity, benevolence, and 
true friendship, are no more than the vile counterfeits of 
vanity, ambition, and self-interest : there we should find those 
great actions, which attract the applause, and command the 
veneration of mankind, take their rise from the most corrupted 
sources of avarice, envy, or revenge ! 

If this be the case, as it really is, what reason have the 
most exalted men to boast 1 ? On the contrar}^ what strong- 
motives for the most profound humility 1 I will allow, never- 
theless, that there are some men so good and upright, as to 
act always from the noblest principles of virtue; for by a 
special providence, Almighty God has so ordered things, that 
good men of this description have existed, do, and will exist in 
all ages, in all nations, arid will continue to exist to the end 
of the world. But I would ask whence are derived those 
rare and happy qualifications 1 From dust and ashes 1 No : 
from thy hand, O my God, from thy fostering grace, " from 
whom all excellent gifts descend/' If they proceed then from 
the hand of God, why boast 1 Why not rather feel your 
misery and wants, and humble yourselves under them 1 

Besides, my brethren, be pleased to consider that this degree 
of excellence is confined to very few. The great bulk of man- 
kind can boast of nothing but imperfection and weakness ; and 
if in their progress through life some good qualities occasion- 
ally appear, they are generally blended with such vices or im- 
perfections as eclipse or obscure their lustre. Their lives may 
be justly compared to those gloomy days which are seldom 
brightened, and that but for a moment, with the cheerful rays of 
the sun. JFor one instant of sunshine you have whole hours 
of obscurity — for one good quality, many considerable imper- 
fections. Seeing, therefore, that man possesses nothing of 
himself but sin and error, how is it possible for him to glory 
in his own thoughts? Should he not rather, from a just 
contemplation of his nature, sink as it were into the most 
profound humility, into a kind of self-annihilation 1 Notwith- 
standing, we often meet persons so thoughtless, so inconsiderate, 
so full of folly, as to raise themselves, in their own aspiring 
thoughts, above the rest of mankind. 

One should really imagine, from the behaviour of these 
persons, tb'at they were not formed of the same clay with their 
fellow-creatures. Their vanity is so intolerably great, they 
cannot bear to hear one good word of their neighbour ; but on 
the contrary, seek every opportunity of lessening him in the 
eyes of the public. Should others, by successful industry or 
casual incidents, step into a genteel light in the world ; should 



278 



SERMON V. 



their personal merits create, and their virtues win the regard 
and the esteem of the public, their proud hearts are immedi- 
ately alarmed and shocked ; nor do they think it the least 
shame to employ every mean and little art, even to become 
the foul organ, the vile echo, of every calumny and slander, 
to cast a shade over the merit of those who prove so offensive 
to their malignant eyes. " Earth and dirt that thou art, 
what reason hast thou to pride 1 " This instruction the Spirit 
of God addresses to all in general ; but still, I maintain, it is 
particularly applicable to the vain and the proud. Why so ? 
Because they are, in reality, the most contemptible part of 
mankind — strip them of the ornaments of riches, divest them 
of the outward show of fortune, and you discover the basest, 
vilest heart; a most contemptible compound of ignorance 
and stupidity, envy and malice, selfishness and pride. 

" Let them therefore humble themselves," as St. Paul 
directs, " under the powerful hand of God; " because all man- 
kind in general have nothing to boast of, and they in particular 
have less reason than all the rest to glory in themselves, 
destitute as they are of all sorts of merit ; for if rank and dis- 
tinction were always the reward of merit and virtue, those I 
am speaking of would certainly be placed among the lowest of 
mankind. Such are the just and humble sentiments of humility 
which a perfect knowledge of ourselves should inspire us with. 
But what should contribute more effectually to that purpose 
is the command which Jesus Christ has left us upon this head. 

Were man left to himself he would hardly think of fixing 
his attention upon, and taking a near view of his own little- 
ness and misery ; because a contemplation of this kind must 
necessarily be disagreeable to that self-love which is born with 
us and seems to be interwoven with our nature. But when 
Almighty God commands us to study and to know ourselves, 
in order, by consequence, to entertain a correct and humble 
opinion of ourselves, it follows that neither self-love or in-born 
pride can set up either excuse or evasion to this solemn com- 
mand. Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, who had the 
salvation of mankind in view in every word and action of his 
upon earth, addressing his disciples, that is, you and me, and 
the Christians of all nations and of all times who look up to 
the rewards of heaven, says unto them : " Learn of me," not 
to create the heavens or the earth, nor to remove mountains 
and cast them into the sea — not to perform any other prodigy 
of nature, but (observe the command you are bound to learn) 
" for I am meek and humble of heart." 

Humility, therefore, will always be the distinguishing 



ON HUMILITY. 



279 



character of the true disciples of Christ. "Without humility 
you do not learn of Christ ; you copy not his footsteps, and 
unless you copy his footsteps, you can have no claim to life 
everlasting. The importance of this virtue, my brethren, may 
be seen, from its constant exemplification in the sacred person 
of our Redeemer, as well as the various occasions wherein he 
instructs his followers on this head : " Amen I say unto you, 
unless you become as little children," how so? — meek and 
humble like little children—-" you shall not enter into the 
kingdom of heaven." At another time : " When thou shalt 
be called to a wedding, take thy seat in the last place." 
Again : " He that wishes to be greatest amongst you, let him 
become a servant to the rest." Finally, Jesus Christ, your 
Lord, your God and your model, of whom St. Paul says : " He 
humbled himself as it were to nothing, by taking upon him 
the figure of a slave;" this God I .say, closes his last inter- 
course with his disciples, before his death, with a most pressing 
exhortation to humility ; and he grounds it on a most singular 
example : " If I, who am your Lord and Master, have washed 
your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of each other : for 
I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so 
you also may do the like." 

The obligation and the practice of humility being made 
clear from the authority of holy writ, and inforced by the ex- 
ample of Jesus Christ, we are naturally led to the considera- 
tion of what humility consists in — a question of no small 
nicety. The doctors of the Church and writers upon a spiritual 
life, have almost all varied in opinion upon the question, what 
humility consisted in. Some will have it, that humility con- 
sists in a thorough knowledge of ourselves and our natural 
insignificance; others in shunning and despising all honour 
and distinction before men ; whilst others suppose it to consist 
in seeking for humiliation and abjection. But in the views of 
men of the nicest conceptions and most correct way of thinking, 
those different opinions appear no more than the marks or 
external effects of humility. Humility, therefore, in their 
judgment, consist in a habitual disposition of the mind, of paying 
the Almighty God the honour due to his supreme greatness, 
so as never to transgress or omit any part of our duty from a 
regard to the vain glory of this world : for he that knows the 
supreme greatness of God, must certainly see how little there 
is in the whole creation besides ; and he that sees this and is 
governed by this inward principle, so far as to pay the just 
regard to the greatness of God upon every occasion, is truly 
and sincerely humble. 



280 



SEEM OX V. 



"From this exposition follow three degrees of humility : the 
first — to know and acknowledge inwardly, in the sight of God, 
that of ourselves we are nothing ; the second — never to violate 
any essential part of our duty, either through the fear of con- 
tempt or desire of distinction ; the third — to despise ourselves 
and wish to be despised by others — not only to bear with, but 
even seek and rejoice in the occasions of being contemned and 
despised by others. The first and second degrees are absolutely 
necessary for salvation ; the last concerns those alone who 
aspire to a higher degree of perfection. You all perceive, my 
brethren, from what I have said, the necessity of fulfilling the 
essential and necessary parts of humility ; that is, to think 
little of yourselves, in the sight of God and the sight of man ; 
and if any perfections you may have (for perfections there are, 
and distinguished perfections both of body and mind) to 
acknowledge them as the gifts of heaven ; and that the more 
we receive the more accountable we shall be unto Almighty 
God. 

Did we act universally in this manner, we should be 
strangers to that vanity and arrogance wmich seem to over- 
rule every condition of life. Then, we should never see those 
blessed with excellent and shining parts, running down those 
that have scarcely any, because they would, as they should, 
consider, that no man is truly great but in the eyes of God ; 
and that talents misapplied are much inferior to that 
simplicity which sanctifies the heart without swelling or 
puffing up the mind. Then, we should never see the superior 
ranks in life looking down with disdain on the inferior ; be- 
cause they would, as they should, consider that no one is 
truly rich or elevated but in grace or virtue; and that gold 
which now creates the distinction, is no more than painted 
dirt, which were it to pass into hands they now look down on, 
would perhaps create more honour and applause than they 
ever were, or ever will be held in. Then, in a word, every 
man would know himself — the ignorant his ignorance, the 
proud his folly, the weak and imperfect his weakness and 
imperfection. Mankind would know that all excellency is 
derived from above, and should always be referred unto God ; 
so as never " to seek their own glory to the prejudice of the 
glory of Christ." Then likewise should we all reap the 
precious advantages which flow from the practice of humility. 
What those advantages are, shall be the subject of the second 
part of this discourse. 

Second — The spirit of God directs : " The greater thou 
art, humble thyself the more whereby you shall obtain two 



ON HUMILITY. 



281 



great advantages — honour before man, and grace before God. 
When I speak of honour as a sure and constant attendant 
upon humility, I don't mean that vain and false honour which 
consists in the esteem and applause of sinners, and is generally 
bestowed upon the most undeserving men. ISTo ; this is rather 
a humiliation than a real honour, because no wise or virtuous 
man thinks it the least credit to be high in the esteem of 
those who are not only vicious and profligate in themselves, 
but also the zealous patrons and abettors of the vices and 
profligacy of others. True honour consists in the esteem, 
good opinion, and applause of all wise, honest and righteous 
men. It consists in the approbation of Almighty God : for 
St. Paul says, " It is not he that commends himself, that is to 
be approved or applauded, but he whom God commends.' 
The rest is no more than a vain and empty show of distinction 
— " All flesh being as grass, and its glory as the flowers of the 
field." True honour, therefore, that honour which ranks us, 
first, high before man — and, secondly, supremely high before 
God, must proceed from humility : for the Spirit of God says : 
" Honour and glory shall march before the humble man ;" and 
our Lord Jesus Christ declares, that " he that humbleth 
himself shall be exalted." 

Who are they that acquire honour, and meet with regard 
and distinction from all knowing and upright men 1 Are they 
not persons of a modest and humble deportment 1 What 
veneration is paid the man of wealth, who, overlooking the 
distance that fortune or custom has placed between him and 
the rest of mankind, shows, upon every occasion, that he 
knows how to distinguish and revere the Christian, even in the 
most lowly conditions of life ! A man of this character — does 
he not acquire high honour before men 1 for even in this life 
" he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." A man of dis- 
tinguished parts, who, at the same time that he is conscious 
of his merit, l ' glories in no other knowledge than the know- 
ledge of Christ ? who constantly devotes to the public good 
those talents which a vain and interested heart generally directs 
to private interest or empty applause : is he not, I say, revered, 
commended, and highly honoured by mankind 1 for even in this 
life " he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." 

How venerable is that young person, who, unmindful of the 
o-races that adorn her, never sees or notices any imperfections 
in others : on the contrary, takes every opportunity of setting 
forth their good qualities in the fairest view, and glossing over 
the imperfections of the body by the perfections of the mind. 
Is not one of this character extolled high before mankind 1 for 

T 



282 



SERMON V. 



even in this life "lie that humbleth himself shall be exalted." 
On the contrary, in what light are those considered who are 
eternally raising themselves above their fellow creatures 1 
Are they not the scorn, the contempt of mankind? The 
higher they rise in their own towering imaginations, the lower 
they are depressed by all those that know their haughtiness and 
pride. 

Even Divine Providence interferes to pull down the 
gigantic pride and arrogance of those vain and ambitious 
minds, who are continually raising in their own thoughts a 
structure capable of reaching the highest heavens. Our 
Saviour says, in the Gospel : " He that exalteth himself shall 
be humbled.." And " honour and glory," says St. Paul, 
" belong to God alone :" he cannot bear to see a vile, despi- 
cable insect encroaching on his rights and usurping his prero- 
gatives ; like Lucifer, that head of the reproved angels, who 
would fain soar to the throne of God, and make himself like 
the Most High. But as God cannot bear such usurpation, 
he never fails to bring about such changes and revolutions, as 
must level the proud heart in humiliation, and cover it with 
confusion. 

Does not daily experience furnish you all with proofs of the 
justice of this remark 1 Have you ever known any of those 
who are constantly undervaluing or ridiculing their neigh- 
bours, but met with some disgrace, some misfortune, that 
touched them hi the most delicate spot — their honour 1 Dis- 
grace here, or misfortune, is always conducted by the unerring- 
hand of God, who will always and on all occasions make good 
his word — " He that exalteth himself shall be humbled." If 
therefore you wish to avoid the dreadful humiliations of the 
heavy hand of God, be humble yourselves in your thoughts, 
in your expressions and deportment ; whereby you will not 
only obtain honour before man, but grace before God. 

" God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble," 
says St. James : graces of forgiveness, and graces of improve- 
ment in sanctity and merit. I say graces of forgiveness, which 
you all know to be verified by the whole history of the J ewish 
people, who always removed the anger and scourges of heaven 
by their humiliations alone. There ne^er was, nor never will 
be, so effectual a method of removing the anger of God, as, 
humility ; because " a contrite and humble heart, God, thou 
wilt not despise," which you shall see exemplified in a few 
instances. 

King David, who sinned and transgressed the law, was con- 
fident of mercy, so soon as he humbled and reduced himself to 



ON HUMILITY. 



283 



that state which gives all glory unto God, and prepares the 
way for the execution of his mercies. He therefore beseeches 
the Lord " to look down upon his humility." He calls not in 
vain ; the Lord beheld and forgave him. 

Achab, one of the most unjust and unrighteous princes 
that ever sat upon the throne of Israel, after his injustices and 
violence were carried to the highest, the Lord sent his prophet 
to tell him he took notice of his iniquities, and resolved to 
punish him. Achab, terrified at this notice, covered himself 
with sackcloth, and humbled himself exceedingly. Behold, the 
Almighty speaks to his prophet a second time : " Hast thou not 
seen Achab humbled in my sight V — Observe : " Because Achab 
hath humbled himself before me, I will not pour down upon 
him the evils I mentioned." Here humility stops the uplifted 
hand of God, at least for a time. 

Manasses, one of the most wicked princes that ever dis- 
graced the throne of Juda, whose iniquities forced the 
Almighty to punish and chastise him severely, in allowing the 
Assyrian to drag him to Babylon, ignominiously bound in iron 
chains ; yet, by humbling himself under the powerful hand of 
God, was afterwards restored to his kingdom and the splendour 
of his former reign. The impious and insolent Nabuchodonoser, 
after being reduced by Almighty God to the level of a beast, 
and living and sleeping on the grass of the forest for seven 
years, in common with the cattle : yet upon acknowledging, in 
the midst of his humiliations, the powerful and supreme 
justice of the omnipotent God, was thereupon raised again to 
the glory and elevation of the most powerful monarch of the 
east. 

If from the Old, we pass to the New Law, we shall find, in 
one place, Mary Magdalen, a woman notorious for her sins, 
receiving full forgiveness from the lips of J esus Christ himself : 
but in what circumstances 1 After humbling herself to the 
lowest degree, casting herself down at the feet of our Saviour, 
in a public assemblage, bathing them with her tears, and 
wiping them with her hair. In another place, a publican, or 
tax gatherer — one by his profession liable to commit the 
greatest injustices — descends from the temple justified. Upon 
what occasion % After he had humbled himself to the ground 
in the lower part of the temple, thinking himself unworthy of 
advancing, or even of lifting up his eyes unto God. In a 
word, if we consult the whole system of religion, we shall find 
it filled with assurances and examples of the surprising effects 
of humility, not only in drawing down the grace of forgiveness, 
but likewise the grace of improvement in sanctity and merit. 



284 



SEEMOX V. 



This, my brethren, is a necessary consequence, from the 
nature and excellence of humility ; as it is an undoubted 
principle of our religion, that the more excellent any act of 
virtue is, the more productive it is of grace. Now, that 
humility is a virtue of the most excellent kind, appears, not 
only from the illustrations I have given of it from the Old and 
the New Law, but also from the fathers. St. Cyprian, in his 
sermon upon the Nativity, calls it the root and foundation of 
all virtues. It is impossible to rise to the higher degrees, says 
St. Chrysostom, without passing first through the lower, which 
consist in humility. It is not only the foundation, but the 
perfection of virtue, according to St. Austin, who beautifully 
compares it to a grand and stately edifice, which rises high in 
proportion as the foundation is laid low — so that virtue always 
increases in proportion to our humility ; whereas, if the founda- 
tion be deficient, the whole superstructure must necessarily fall 
to the ground. The same holy father and doctor of the Church 
goes further : in his fifty-sixth Epistle, he proposes and answers 
the following important questions : "What is the first thing in all 
religion 1 humility — what is the second 1 humility — what is the 
third ] humility. As if the greatest virtues religion prescribes 
were reducible to this one point — humility. 

This will appear no way surprising, if we consider the great 
and extensive influence of humility. Other virtues are limited 
in their nature, and confined to certain particular effects — 
sobriety, for instance, regulates our actions only with regard to 
food ; justice, with regard to property ; liberality, with regard 
to riches ; modesty, with regard to dress ; but humility takes in 
everything ; as it subjects the whole soul unto God. It makes 
us consider the Divinity as all m all, and pay unto him the 
honour due to his supreme greatness, in every action and 
circumstance of life ; whence it becomes a virtue of the first and 
most excellent class. 

This being established and admitted, how much must the 
practice of it be profitable to the soul, and productive of divine 
grace ! The holy fathers, to express their ideas of the benefits 
of humility, use a figure, and compare it to those fruitful 
valleys which are fertilized and enlivened by the refreshing dew, 
the vivifying rain, and all the kind influence of the skies, whilst 
the lofty hills are dried up by a burning sun and parching 
winds, and thereby reduced to a miserable state of sterility. 
Besides, humility has ever been the favourite virtue of the 
saints. I will go further, and say, that no one was ever 
remarkable for sanctity, that was not equally so for humility. 
The more the Almighty rewarded their merit with grace, the 



ON FORGIVENESS. 



285 



more they sunk and depressed themselves in his sight ; not 
only avoiding every shadow of applause, by concealing all their 
good works, but wishing, if possible, to conceal them from 
themselves. Jesus Christ, who sees in private, will reward in 
public, and will manifest, by miracles, the concealed humilia- 
tions of his servants, as he did the hermit Paul in the desert, 
and Mary in Egypt. 

Having thus shown you the necessity, the excellency, and 
the advantages of humility, it remains only that we draw a just 
consequence from the whole. "We are all sinners. We all 
stand in need of the mercies of the Lord : without his mercies 
we shall be lost. Humility, as we have seen, is the most 
powerful means of drawing down those mercies. Let no clay, 
therefore, pass, during your short pilgrimage here below, with- 
out practising one or more acts of humility. Humility is of 
two sorts — of the mind and body. That of the mind is more 
acceptable : silence when thwarted or contradicted, even though 
you should be right ; meekness under sufferings, because 
sufferings are due to sin ; but take care that every act of 
humility be conformable to, and grounded on, the spirit of 
religion. It is religion tells you that empire, and power, and 
glory, belong to God alone. Let us publicly confess before 
heaven and earth, that we are miserable, sinful creatures, 
incapable of all good, oppressed with sin and imperfection, 
unworthy all notice, and deserving the highest contempt and 
humiliation ! 

Such sentiments often felt, often repeated, will excite the 
notice and call forth the mercies of the Great Eternal God ; 
and from being humble upon earth, he will raise you to 
greatness in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



SERMON VI. 

ON FORGIVENESS. 

" Whoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be guilty of hell-fire." 

Matt., c. v., v. 22. 

The relation that man stands in with regard to man, the ties 
that connect him with his brethren, as being the images of 
God, members of Christ, enlightened with the same faith, and 
called to the same hopes of eternal happiness, are such as nor 
only to demand our best offices, but oblige us to treat out 
brother with a certain deference, were he the meanest of man- 
kind : "to prevent each other with honour," as St. Paul 
directs ; and even to love him, according to the new and 



286 



SERMON VI. 



favourite command of Jesus Christ, our Lord : for without the 
love of our brethren we cannot love God. and unless we love 
God we can have no claim to life everlasting. 

But that we should be excluded the kingdom of heaven, 
and condemned to hell-fire for using contemptuous language, 
may appear very surprising to many not well grounded in the 
principles of religion : that a wayward and angry expression 
— "whosoever shall say, Thou fool" — should be followed by such 
fatal consequences is infallibly true, because the Gospel 
assures us, " he shall be guilty of hell-fire." To be then so far 
forgetful of your duty, as to break out into expressions of real 
anger or contempt against your neighbour, is to dissolve the 
bonds of charity, to violate the first obligations of the law, and 
to become liable to all the wrath and vengeance of God. 

This principle is not only true with regard to our brethren, 
in general, it extends likewise to our most bitter and 
implacable enemies, as appears from the Gospel whence I have 
selected the foregoing text as the subject of your instruction 
this evening, where our Saviour orders us, "to leave our gift 
at the altar, and go and be reconciled to our brother." With- 
out this reconciliation or forgiveness, all your prayers, all your 
alms, all your good works, will avail you nought before God : 
for " he that loveth not his brother," says St. Paul, " remain- 
eth in death ; " that is, is cut off from the joys of life ever- 
lasting. This weighty material point, how few are there who 
seriously take it into consideration ! Most people conceive 
themselves warranted in returning hatred for hatred, blow for 
blow ; hence those feuds, animosities, and dissensions, which 
tear up the mystical robe of Christ — I mean the society of the 
faithful all over the Christian world. If we consult the 
Gospel, we shall there find the obligation we lie under of loving 
our very enemies, as well as forgiving them ; but lest the sub- 
ject become too copious, we shall for the present separate them, 
and examine, 

First — The strictness of the law which enjoins forgiveness ; 
and, 

Secondly — The duties it prescribes. 

Eternal wisdom of my God ! whose forgiveness and mercies 
are thy brightest attribute's, enable thy servant to teach those 
present the ways of forgiveness : and whilst I teach, do thou 
touch their hearts with that brilliant example of forgiveness 
which thou didst hold forth from the cross. 

First — What can be more binding, my brethren, than an 
obligation enforced by divine authority, which extends to 
every rank and station of life, and is not to be dispensed with 



0-N* FORGIVENESS. 



287 



in . any circumstance or for any consideration whatsoever 1 
Now this is precisely the natnre of the obligation of forgive- 
ness. The Almighty God orders us to forgive : he orders it 
without exception of persons, and in such a manner as to 
admit neither of alleviation or excuse. If you only love those 
that' love you, and do good only to repay acts of benevolence, 
what more do you do than the Pagans, who, from a principle 
of gratitude engrafted in our nature, are never wanting in 
expressions of kindness towards those who have conferred any 
obligations upon them 1 "I say unto you, Love your enemies' 7 
— they are the words of a God ; " do good to them that hate 
you, and pray for them that persecute and despise you." — 
Matt., vi. 

This is not one of those counsels which our Saviour 
recommended to his disciples for their greater perfection, 
and which may be neglected without a breach of the law, 
or incurring his displeasure — as when he recommends letting 
our cloak go, when a man attempts taking it by force ; or 
to turn the left cheek, when we are struck upon the right ; 
although one may very lawfully sue in justice for his pro- 
perty, and forcibly repel any violence, provided it be done 
with due moderation. No : the obligation of loving our 
enemies is not one of these counsels, but a most formal and 
rigorous precept, the violation of which is necessarily attended 
with a grievous offence against the Divinity ; and behold the 
consequence — "If ye do not forgive men, neither will your 
Father forgive you your sins." As we can never aspire to 
eternal happiness without the forgiveness of our sins, and that 
the Word of God here assures us we never will be forgiven 
unless we forgive, it follows, that to refuse complying with 
this precept, is a capital transgression of the law, since that 
alone is sufficient to exclude us from the kingdom of heaven. 
How deplorable, then, is the condition of those who obstinately 
refuse to be reconciled to their enemies, and sincerely forgive 
the injuries they had received ! Whilst they remain in this 
disposition, nothing can be more true, than that they can have 
no part with Christ, no share in his kingdom ; for he says : 
" There is no mercy for those who show no mercy to Others." 

It is related in the Gospel, that »a certain servant owed a 
considerable debt to his master, and upon application for 
indulgence, the master most generously and tenderly forgave 
the whole debt. Some small debts had been owing to this 
servant — these he shortly afterwards applied for ; but he applies 
with urgency, with sternness and cruelty, unmindful of the 
indigence and misery of his debtors. This barbarous oppres- 



/ 



•288 



SERMON VI. 



sion could not remain concealed : it spread about, and reached 
the master's ears. Justly astonished at such unheard of 
oppression, he sends for this cruel servant, reproaches him 
with his inhumanity, which received a new aggravation from 
the indulgence he had met with himself, and orders him 
instantly to be cast into prison, until he pays the entire debt. 

The application of this parable is obvious. We all stand 
deep debtors unto Almighty God, on the score of our manifold 
sins and daily transgressions; these his infinite mercy is pleased 
to forgive — at least is ready to forgive, provided we call on 
him with humility and compunction; and yet, to the disgrace 
of Christianity and of human nature, there shall be found a 
man, I mean a vile insect, a contemptible worm, who refuses 
to forgive his brother a trifling debt, a feather, if rightly 
weighed, in comparison of the heavy debts that have been 
remitted him. Strange infatuation ! Blind corruption of the 
human heart ! But observe the consequence — learn it from 
the words of your Redeemer, and tremble at the instruction : 
— this unrelenting man will be cast into the dark prison of 
hell, until he pays the last farthing; that is, until the inflexible 
wrath of heaven is satisfied, by his endless and interminable 
sufferings. 

Say, thou man of nice honour, of tender feelings ; say, thou 
compound of pride and passion, hast thou ever seriously re- 
flected on this subject 1 To remove the weighty considerations 
that arise from religion, say, hast thou weighed in the balance 
of reason and self-interest, what it is, by unforgiveness, to 
provoke, to dare, to defy the avenging justice of God, rather 
than suppress thy resentments'? Dost thou prefer descending 
into the black and burning lake of hell, drawn down by thy 
desires of revenge, rather than occupy a place among the saints, 
raised up by the god-like virtue of forgiveness 1 Such con- 
siderations, my brethren, fill you, I hope, with a holyhorror — 
let them serve to suppress, at least to cool, your resentments, 
prepare your souls for the mild and peaceable dispositions 
that religion inspires : otherwise you transgress an obligation 
enforced by divine authority, and in such a manner as not to 
admit of exception or excuse. 

A man bent upon revenge is always ready, with a number 
of plausible reasons, to justify his conduct. Listen, and ob- 
serve the imposing air of sincerity with which he speaks — " I 
am not one of those touchy, over-nice persons, who are piqued 
at every trifle, and make a mountain of a pebble ; but the in- 
jury I received is too serious to be overlooked. I was injured, 
in the broad light of clay, in the face of the public, by an 



ON FORGIVENESS. 



289 



inferior : every man of either rank or distinction, must support 
a character, otherwise he sinks into disrepute, if not contempt 
— I owe a debt of justice to myself, which compels me to 
retaliate this injury !" Fine words, my brethren : let us ex- 
amine and weigh them in the scales of the sanctuary. The 
injury was too serious to be overlooked — what was the injury 1 
An unguarded expression, a disrespectful look, perhaps. And 
is this sufficient cause for you, O revengeful man ! to vomit, 
out invectives against your neighbour 1 to vilify and asperse 
him 1 to injure and insult him 1 to attempt and bring about his 
ruin 1 When the principles of reason and of religion become 
shipwrecked by such conduct as this, in vain do I ask where 
your faith is, your hopes of future mercy, or your charity. 
Had you even the power (I mean not the ability, but the 
right) of punishing, which you really have not, surely punish- 
ment should be proportioned to the fault ; and what proportion, 
what justice is maintained between the injury you pretend to 
have received, and the animosity you express 1 But admitting 
the injury to be great as you conceive it, and levelled with the 
blackest designs, does it follow from thence that you have a 
light to let loose your resentments, and pursue them at full 
liberty 1 

No, my brethren : Almighty God has reserved that right 
to himself alone : " Revenge unto me," says the Lord, by the 
pen of King David, " I shall return it :" so that whatever un- 
dertakes to redress his own private wrongs, usurps a divine 
right, which must necessarily draw down the heavy judgments 
and provoke the anger of an offended God. Every man 
having an undoubted right to his property, his character 
and fame, I confess without any difficulty, that every 
man who is injured may lawfully sue for an adequate 
reparation in justice ; but I say, it must be without rancour 
or spleen, leaving the determination to those whom God 
has appointed and entrusted with his power to govern and 
protect us ; and in cases where justice cannot be obtained, 
you are bound to commit the decision to God alone, at whose 
tribunal all injustice must necessarily be tried and con- 
demned. 

But can a man of rank, distinction, and character bear a 
public insult ? J esus Christ will answer that question — 
Supreme in rank and distinction, God of God, Light of Light, 
true God of true God — before whom, and in whose hands, the 
whole world, and all the worlds that swim in the vast and 
immeasurable regions of space, are only as one drop of water 
— behold him in Jerusalem, buffeted, spit upon, insulted, and 



290 



SERMON VI. 



abused, by all the ruffians of the Jewish rabble ; silent under- 
their calumnies, patient under their blows, and their advocate 
for forgiveness with his Father on the cross. He was a God, 
you will say ; he was, I answer, and by that title possessed the 
power, as well as the right, to inflict on his enemies the most 
exemplary punishments — and yet how great was his charity, 
his forgiveness, to his most bitter enemies ! "Who can pretend 
to greater distinction than David 1 He was most injuriously 
treated by Saul, after delivering his country from the invading 
foe, and fixing the crown, that was tottering, upon his head ; 
and yet he never attempted to be revenged for all the injuries 
he underwent. 

But a man of character to be insulted 1 — What character % 
Is not a disciple of Christ your first character 1 As such, you 
are bound to practise his law and copy his example 1 What 
law ; what example 1 — Forgiveness. But a man forfeits his 
honour who pockets an affront? Among the ignorant, the 
foolish, the unthinking part of mankind, he may ; among 
those have no proper notion of equity or justice, clemency or 
goodness. And who should be ambitious of their esteem? 
But the good, the wise, and the virtuous will highly honour 
and applaud him who overlooks and passes by an injury. The 
most pusillanimous, when worked upon by rage or fear of in- 
famy, will attempt any danger ; but a heroic spirit alone can 
forgive. True courage consists not in opposing all laws, divine 
and human : but in despising danger in a rational cause, where 
our religion or our country demands our services ; in faithfully 
adhering to our duty, notwithstanding the censure or the con- 
tempt of mankind. 

But a man's honour 1 — What plea will honour make for you 
at the bar of God's justice ? It is much better, in an affair 
of this nature, to incur dishonour before man than reproof 
and condemnation before God. " If God be for us," says St. 
Paul, " who is against us T And I say, if God be against 
you, who is for you % What protection or shelter can you 
find in the vain applause of man, against the flaming effusions 
of an angry God % How shall it protect you in that dreadful 
future day, when in vain the hills and mountains shall be 
invoked to cover the sinner ; when, as he declares himself, 
he will deal out "judgment without mercy" against "all 
those who show no mercy" to others. These are the words 
of an omnipotent God, who, from an essential regard to his 
excellence and greatness, cannot overlook the violation of his 
law; and from his innate justice cannot but punish it in the 
most dreadful manner. To whom does God speak thus 1 — To 



OX FORGIVENESS. 



291 



you and to me; to all who profess themselves his disciples : 
and this denunciation extends to every situation and circum- 
stance in life. The obligation of forgiveness cannot be dispensed 
with, in any rank or condition, under pain of forfeiting all 
claim to life everlasting. The duties it prescribes come next 
under consideration in the sequel of this discourse. 

Second — Notwithstanding the great depravity of morals 
among the Christians of our days, few there are who publicly 
refuse complying with the law of forgiveness. Men of bitter 
dispositions do not hesitate to acknowledge the force of the 
obligation, and assert that they really and sincerely do forgive 
their enemies. But a fatal error lies under this exterior cloak, 
this shadow of forgiveness. From the obligation of forgive- 
ness, two branches arise, one relating to the interior, the 
other the exterior ; one touching the mind, the other the body : 
by the one, we are obliged to wish our enemies well, diligite 
inimicos ; by the other, to do them positive good, when 
occasion requires ; two important considerations, which call for 
your most serious attention. 

I say, in the first place, and it is plain from the nature of 
things, that in consequence of ( the love we owe our enemies, 
we are bound not to wish them harm ; because, according to 
the received opinion of mankind, love and hatred, respecting 
the same object, cannot dwell together in the same breast. 
Whoever, therefore, pretends to forgive as Christ commands, 
must not only discharge from the heart hatred, but furnish it ' 
with a Christian love ; a love that not only prompts to action, 
but removes and banishes every sentiment that has the least 
tendency to the prejudice of his neighbour. Now let me ask 
you, who is it forgives in this manner 1 Consult your own 
experience, and you observe this and that person, whom you 
know to be greatly wronged or oppressed ; and you admire 
their magnanimous virtue in forgiving this enemy — that 
oppressor. But follow them into private life, and observe them 
in every company, by bitter invectives and keen reproaches; by 
lively representations, perhaps false colourings, of the injuries 
they sustained themselves, as well as others, contradict by 
their actions, the false appearance of forgiveness they held 
forth. Observe their secret triumphs, their cruel joys, upon 
occasion of this calamity, that ruin ; and tell me, is this forgive- 
ness % No, my brethren ; they never forgave. They only dis- 
guised their resentments ; not removing them as they should ; 
otherwise they would be very far from showing any animosity 
in their words or countenance, whenever any enemy of theirs 
is made the subject of discourse. 



292 



SERMON VI. 



" True charity is bountiful," says St. Paul ; " it knows not 
how to act amiss." Forgiveness is the daughter of charity. 
Whoever forgives not, transgresses the law of charity, because 
charity is merciful, and mercy is forgiving. Let us look a 
little farther, and behold others on their knees, after receiving 
the slightes injury, loading their enemies with imprecations 
and curses, and calling aloud with extended arms, not for 
mercy, but that the curses and vengeance of God may light 
upon their enemies ! Almighty God ! before whom the pillars 
of heaven tremble with awe, stop thine ear and shut thy hand, 
when unhappy mortals thus presume to speak ! Such un- 
happy wretches should know that their curses will only fall 
on themselves, for their impiety ; for what greater affront could 
be offered unto God, than that his thunderbolts should await 
their commands'? and that his power and justice should be 
employed in seconding the malice of their hearts % It is upon 
those occasions we may safely say, Almighty God never 
hears the petitions of sinners ; or if he should, it is only to 
pour down on their guilty heads the vengeance they require 
for others. 

Almighty God may and will punish, it is true ; but it is 
when and in what manner he chooses, not conformable to your 
wicked or malicious desires. You have been wronged, you 
say, and destroyed — could your curses remove those wrongs, 
or recall destruction 1 I will admit he wronged you — are you 
therefore to wrong, to destroy your own soul, by a most griev- 
ous iniquity 1 Had you sacrificed your wrongs and your 
resentment, and a sacrifice of sweet savour they would be unto 
the Lord, he, in his own time, would certainly have done you 
justice ; but by your unchristian manner of abominable im- 
precation, you have forfeited the merit of forbearance in this 
life, and its reward in the next. But you forgave when your 
passion cooled. This will not wipe away, or extenuate the 
crime you committed in your passion. My dear brethren, you 
should never allow your passion to inflame you with such 
rage as to break out into any scandalous expressions of 
revenge. It has come to the lot of every few, I know, to be 
such masters of their hearts, as to suppress the first emotions 
of anger, upon receiving any considerable injury ; but I equally 
know, it is still in our power, with the assistance of heaven, so 
to check these emotions, as by degrees to suppress them 
entirely. Upon those occasions, it is in our power to beg of 
the great God the grace to master our passions, which he will 
not refuse to such as call for it with humility and fervour. 
The fatal error lies in neglecting, in such cases, to bridle our 



ON FORGIVENESS. 



29-3 



unruly passions, and to apply above for aid, where aid would 
certainly be found. Upon the whole it follows, that if any 
one wishes another deliberately any considerable harm, either 
in or out of passion, such person dissolves the great law of 
charity, the favourite law of Christ, for which at his awful 
tribunal he shall certainly undergo a severe judgment. To 
discharge, therefore, your duty, either with regard to those who 
have been your enemies heretofore, or who may be so hereafter,, 
you must take special care so to watch over the sentiments of 
your mind, as never to intend or wish them any harm or 
prejudice. Even here you must not stop — you are obliged 
to do them positive good when occasion requires. 

This obligation arises clearly from the sermon preached by 
our Lord Jesus Christ on the mountain, " Do good to them 
that offend you, pray for them that persecute you." To forgive, 
therefore, is not enough — to wish your enemies well is not even 
sufficient. You must do your enemy positive good, when occa- 
sion requires ; otherwise you make sterile the new and favourite 
precept of our Lord, "Love your enemies a precept he 
honoured with the special dignity of calling it his own ; and a 
precept whereby Christians were to be distinguished from all 
other inhabitants of the earth. This great and important 
precept is not to be confined to the cold and languid opera- 
tions of the mind. No ; it must arise into action. You must 
love yOur enemies as Christ loved you. Consider the love he 
was graciously pleased to show us. It consisted not merely in 
declining to punish us as we deserved, but it was productive of 
the . greatest blessings ; since it was his love that made him 
offer himself up a victim to his Father, and become a ransom 
for our sins upon the cross. If then you forgive your enemies 
as you ought, you will forgive them as Christ forgave us ; not 
in words, but in effect, by doing them positive good. 

To illustrate this point, divines distinguish two sorts of 
offices ; the common civilities in society, which every citizen 
has a right to expect from his fellow-citizen, every friend from 
a friend, every relation from a relation, every Christian from a 
Christian ; and they add, that every one is obliged in conscience, 
not only to show those usual civilities even to an enemy, but 
to use the particular expressions of friendship ; so that any one 
who refuses to speak to his enemy when spoken to, to return 
his salute when saluted, or who excludes him from any share 
in his prayers or alms, must be guilty of a heinous violation of 
the Divine Law, which obliges us to love our enemies as Jesus 
Christ loved us. Further, they say, there are many occasions, 
wherein we are obliged to go beyond these outward expres- 



/ 



294: 



SERMON VI. 



sions ; to treat our enemies with the most sincere and effectual 
benevolence, so as to assist them either with our counsel or 
fortune, and as often as they stand in need of it ; because it 
would be the greatest enormity for a man, who professes him- 
self a disciple of Christ, to see his fellow-creature perish for 
want either of his advice or assistance, merely because he had 
offended him. 

Finally, they assure us that in many cases we are bound to 
prevent our enemies with friendship ; and this is always the 
case — the bounden duty of the aggressor ; which, though a 
point of the utmost importance, is very little attended to in 
several circumstances of life. Often do we behold severe 
indignities offered both in public and in private; yet the 
aggressors rest contented without feeling the force of the obliga- 
tion they lie under. Their pride, or a certain distinction, 
which they occupy no where but in their own ideas, will not 
allow them to step forward and make advances towards a 
reconciliation ; but be it known, that without this, Almighty 
God will never be reconciled unto them. The injured persons, 
my brethren, do not precisely lie under the same obligations as 
the injurers. Those have a right to receive — these to make 
the reparation. 

Charity is not inconsistent with justice ; it heightens, not 
destrovs it ; so that whoever injures first, should be first to 
repair the injury. This obligation is so strict, in the opinion 
of the divines, that none can be admitted to the holy sacra- 
ment who refuses to comply therewith. 

There are occasions, I know, wherein the person injured is 
obliged to forego his rights ; but that is when it becomes neces- 
sary to prevent the great scandal that must ensue from insist- 
ing upon a reparation, or where a prospect arises of gaining 
over to Jesus Christ a brother, who must otherwish perish 
through a rash, headstrong, and ungovernable temper. Here 
is the law, and the distinctions of the law for you, in their full 
extent. It remains only to be considered, how the law has 
been fulfilled hitherto. Examine, and let me ask, in what 
manner has each of you been disposed towards his enemies 
heretofore 1 Have you sincerely forgiven — have you loved 
them as Jesus Christ commands ; so as neither to wish, nor to 
do them any harm ; to pay them the common duties of social 
and Christian life, and even to serve them upon necessary 
occasions ? How are you now disposed with regard to them ? 
Do you sincerely forgive them from your hearts ? 

Go, then, at the end of this sermon, go and be reconciled to 
your enemies, if any you have. Blind and corrupt nature may 



ON GRACE. 



295 



feel the humiliation ; the recollection of past grievances may 
revive, and resentments become inflamed at the thought ; but 
consider it as a God that commands it, and that your salvation 
or eternal perdition depends on your obedience or resistance ! 
Once more I say, go and salute your enemy. He is your brother 
in Christ. Frail clay, once has he offended — often have you 
offended the great Being of Heaven ; unless you forgive, how 
can you say, Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them 
that trespass against us 1 " because by those words you defy the 
anger of God and invoke his thunderbolts on your guilty heads. 
The words are, " Forgive us," only " as we forgive ; " as we 
forgive not, do not thou forgive ; but if we forgive others, do 
thou forgive us. " I will," says the Lord. 

No longer, then, shall injuries or the recollection of them 
dwell with us. Let the ignorance of our duties, O Lord, plead 
some excuse for the past," " for they knew not what they did." 
Fully sensible now of thy law, we sincerely forgive all the 
injuries we ever received, and aided by thy grace, we purpose to 
bear up with meekness, as thou didst on the cross, with what- 
ever injuries may be offered to us here below — to receive them 
as chastisements from thy fatherly hands, to the end, that 
loving here in the bonds of charity with mankind, we may all 
one day for ever praise thee, in the enjoyment of their " great 
rewards " in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



SERMON VII. 

ON GRACE, 

" I give thanks to my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God 
which is given you through Jesus Christ." — 1 Cor., c. i., v. 4. 

If the apostle was so mindful of returning the Almighty con- 
tinual thanks for the favours he was pleased to bestow on those 
that had been converted to the faith of Christ, it is not to be 
supposed he could have been any way unmindful t)f the bles- 
sings he had himself received. The various graces he had 
been favoured and adorned with, must undoubtedly have been 
always present to his thoughts, especially as many of them 
were of the most high and distinguished nature that could 
possibly be thought of. Favours of such high and distin- 
guished excellence are not indifferently granted to all men. 
" The grace of God is manifold," says St. Peter, nor is it dis- 
tributed alike to all persons ; and according to St. Paul, 
" Grace is given to every one of us according to the measure 



296 



SERMON VII. 



of the gift of Christ." Grace, therefore, being various — to 
some more, to others less — it is a certain principle, that he 
who has received even the least lies under the greatest obli- 
gations : for what obligations are not due for the immense and 
incomprehensible riches contained in our redemption, in our 
sanctification, in the remission of sin, and our frequent returns 
unto Almighty God] Is there any one moment of our 
lives not in some measure marked by the grace of God 1 Yet 
how few who ever make these manifold blessings the subject 
of gratitude, or even of serious reflection ! Many there are 
unacquainted even with the nature of divine grace ; others 
continually abuse it. I conceive it, therefore, a subject of 
vast importance to your instruction, to your improvement and 
edification, to consider divine grace in its nature and effect ; 
because the contemplation of grace as a divine virtue^coming 
from the hand of God. the fountain of all virtue, will become 
instructive on the one hand, whilst its effects may animate 
you to the practice of virtue on the other. 

In the first part, you shall behold the nature and excellence 
of divine grace ; in the second, the obligations it lays us 
under. In both, whilst I strive to inform the mind, I wish to 
touch the heart. But what can I do, God ! without the 
powerful influence of thy holy grace % O let it dwell and 
enlighten our conduct during our pilgrimage here below ; let 
it point the way out to thy servants here assembled, that 
knowing thee, they may increase in thy love ; and loving thee, 
they may merit a daily increase of thy holy grace ! 

First — Grace, in general, may be considered as a super- 
natural assistance which Almighty God grants us through the 
merits of Jesus Christ, to strengthen our natural weakness, 
and enable us to work out our salvation. Divine grace is of 
two sorts, habitual and actual. Habitual grace, is that which 
resides in the soul of every just man, whilst he continues 
faithful unto God ; and actual grace, that which does not 
reside in the soul for any continuance, but only during the 
time of its operation. The excellence of divine grace is indeed 
so very great, that it can hardly be conceived by man, being 
of a supernatural order ; whence it follows, that the most 
valuable things we can discover here below, such as riches, 
honours, knowledge, or pleasure, are all, as being in the order 
of nature, of an inferior rank, and, of course, not to be com- 
pared to grace, which is of the supernatural kind. As much, 
then, as the order of grace is above the order of nature, so much 
is divine grace, or the very least portion thereof, as divines say, 
beyond all the wealth or imaginary greatness of this world. 



ON GRACE. 



297 



Nor can it be otherwise, my brethren, from the very nature 
of things — divine grace being the fruits of the death and pas- 
sion of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, according to St. 
John : "The law was given by Moses; but grace and truth 
were brought by Jesus Christ." Should I ask to whom this 
divine grace is imparted, the answer is clear : — to the friends 
of God ; to those who, by co-operating with its influence, ren- 
der themselves favourites of God ; " to those," as St. John says, 
M who love him, and are equally loved by him and his Heavenly 
Father." The gifts of nature he bestows upon all indifferently, 
" making the sun to shine, and the rain to pour down, at stated 
times, upon the just and the unjust," as Christ himself says in 
the Gospel ; but his sanctifying grace is given to the just and 
good alone; so that it becomes, in reality, the stamp of the 
Divinity, the divine pledge of the friendship of God, and the 
spiritual tie which binds and unites us to Christ ; or, as St. 
Paul has it, " The Almighty hath anointed us in Christ ; he 
hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our 
hearts." 

How valuable and excellent, then, must that be, which the 
Almighty grants unto his friends, as the pledge of his love and 
friendship ! Observe how fond people are of every mark of 
distinction which sets them above the crowd : the man of 
honour would sooner die than be deprived of the prerogatives 
which raise him to dignity among mankind. Observe now the 
distinction between us and those who have not been drawn 
out of the corrupted mass of mankind; and whilst you 
observe, adore with reverence and fear the mysterious judg- 
ments of the Lord. What has raised you to the glorious con- 
dition of the adoptive children of God 1 and before this title 
how vain and empty are all human titles and pre-eminences ! 
"What has made you favourites of God, members of Christ, and 
co-heirs with him to the kingdom of heaven ? — The precious 
gift of sanctifying grace. Before we received this sanctifying 
grace we were enemies of God, "being all born children of 
wrath," according to St. Paul : and not only enemies of God, 
but disqualified for his heavenly kingdom. This was the sad 
and deplorable condition we were in before we received the 
sanctifying grace of God in baptism. But as soon as this 
divine grace was infused into our souls, the Almighty took us 
into his love and friendship, and ranked us among those who 
were entitled to all the joys and glory of heaven. The reason 
why it is called justifying grace is, because it is the inward 
principle of justice, and makes us both just and righteous 
before God. So long, therefore, as this inward principle of 

U 



298 



SERMON VII. 



righteousness remains in our souls, so long are we the true 
children of God, and the objects of divine love : for the 
Almighty cannot behold this stamp or seal of Christ impressed 
upon our souls, without feeling for us the tender emotions of 
that love he always bore and showed his only begotten Son. 

Divine grace is not only the inward principle of justice and 
righteousness, but likewise the spiritual tie which unites us 
to the Divinity ; so as to make us, as St. Peter says, "in some 
measure partakers of the divine nature !" For it is not to be 
questioned but the Divinity dwells in, and is a most intimately 
united to, the soul of every righteous man : " He that adheres 
to God," says St. Paul, "is one and the same spirit with 
him :" again, "Do not you know you are the temple of God, 
and that the Spirit of God resides in you?" But in what 
consists, in the judgment of the apostle, this intimate union 
which subsists between the Divinity and every righteous man 1 
Some divines remarkable for piety and learning, supported by 
the authority of many holy fathers, and especially those of 
the Greek Church, were of opinion, that by virtue of sanctify- 
ing grace the Holy Ghost is substantially, though not per- 
sonally, united to the soul of a just man. St. Paul seems to 
hint at this : " The grace of God is poured into our hearts by 
the Holy Ghost, who has been given us and further, " The 
Spirit giveth testimony unto our spirit," or soul, " that we 
are the children of God." This union, though substantial, is 
not personal or hypostatical, to distinguish it from that 
admirable union the second person of the Divinity contracted 
with the humanity of Christ, which communicated to him the 
divine nature, with all the attributes of the Divinity, and in 
virtue of which he became in reality the Son of God by 
nature ; whereas we are only the children of God by adoption, 
in consequence of the union the Holy Ghost contracts with 
our souls. Others, again, are of opinion that this union con- 
sists in the operation of the Spirit of God, which animates, 
protects, and cherishes the soul, so long as it is adorned with 
sanctifying grace, and by that means becomes the very life 
thereof ; all are, however, agreed, that nothing can be more 
intimate than that union which the Divinity contracts with 
the soul of every just man by means of divine grace ; so that 
if it were possible for the Almighty God not to be immediately 
present and intimately united to every part of the creation, 
from the immensity of his nature, he must take a most par- 
ticular pleasure to dwell with, and remain united to the soul 
of a righteous man. 

Divine grace, therefore, unites us unto God. By it we 



ON GRACE. 



299 



truly possess the Almighty God, and are truly possessed by 
him. It is, as you have seen, the seal or stamp of Christ, and 
a sure pledge of life everlasting. But the moment we lose 
divine grace, and we lose it by the very first considerable sin 
we fall into after our conversion, we are separated from God, 
like a branch cut off from the stock whence it derived both life 
and nourishment. "He that abideth not in me," says our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in the Gospel, " shall be cast 
away like a withered branch." Whence it follows, that the 
Almighty withdraws his love and affection from us as soon as 
we forfeit his holy grace ; and treats us thenceforward as 
persons unworthy his attention, his favours, or rewards. This 
consideration alone should animate you all, my brethren, with 
the greatest veneration and regard for the grace of God — a 
heavenly tie which alone is capable of preventing our separa- 
tion from the divine source of happiness; but what should still 
increase its value in our opinion is, that it is likewise the 
principle which gives life to our actions, and makes them any 
way agreeable or meritorious in the eyes of God. 

That there are actions truly meritorious, or certainly 
productive of a heavenly reward, appears from that pas- 
sage in the Gospel, where Jesus Christ says, " Even a 
glass of water given in my name, shall not want its 
reward." But what is the principle that gives our actions 
such excellence, as to be worthy a divine reward 1 — 
Divine grace alone. "The stipend of sin is death," says 
St. Paul, " but the grace of God is everlasting life." 
It is the divine and sanctifying grace of God alone, that 
inspirits and dignifies them so far as to make them worthy 
the attention of a God, and his eternal rewards. So long 
then, as we are possessed of the heavenly treasure of sanctify- 
ing grace, every action we perform in view of Christ, and 
from the influence of an actual grace, is a meritorious action ; 
that is to say, an action whereby we merit an increase of 
grace in this life, and an additional degree of glory in the 
next. In this situation, all the prayers we put up to heaven, 
all the alms we distribute among the poor, all the fasting or 
other acts of self-denial we perform, all the sufferings from 
pain or sickness we endure, all the contradictions or humilia- 
tions from rough or unreasonable tempers we sustain, are all 
so many additions to the glory and happiness that are reserved 
for us in the kingdom of heaven. What advantage so great 
as the possession of that grace which procures such blessings 1 
Nothing should be so estimable in the eyes of a Christian, as 
a situation wherein he can daily, even hourly, add, by all 



300 



SERMON VII. 



kinds of good works, to the treasures mentioned by Jesus 
Christ in the Gospel- — the treasures promised to, and destined 
for, every true and faithful follower of Christ— those are the 
riches of heaven ; which are the more valuable, as they are 
not subject to violence from the midnight robber, or destruc- 
tion from the worm, or decay from length of time. 

Should we, on the other hand, be deprived, my 
brethren, of the sanctifying grace of God, all our actions 
are dead. St. Paul says so : " Though we should have 
faith enough to remove the mountains, and uplift them from 
their seats; though we should distribute all our substance 
among the poor, and assign our bodies to flames, yet without 
charity," or the love of God, which is always inseparable from 
sanctifying grace, " we are nothing ;" that is to say, no ways 
entitled to the friendship of God or his rewards. Again, St. 
John : " he that loveth not, abideth in death." Now, 
whilst a man continues in a state of death, it is plain he can- 
not perform any action worthy of eternal life. You are not 
however, to imagine, that a Christian deprived of the sancti- 
fying grace of God, cannot do good of any kind. No : this is 
an error justly condemned by the Church of God. For in 
this condition, one may pray, lament, and humbly implore the 
forgiveness of his sins, through the merits of Christ, by means 
of the actual graces which are given him, and which operate 
by pious thoughts in the mind, and good desires or emotions 
in the heart. Thus further graces may be, and generally are 
obtained, so as to bring about a perfect reconciliation with 
God. But be pleased to observe, that those actions do not 
entitle a person to any reward, because the sanctifying grace 
of God is not yet recovered, which is the principle that 
enlivens, and the source and root of all merit. Besides, 
although such actions do bring about a reconciliation with 
God, yet it is not from any merit they possess, but because it 
were in some measure unbecoming a God infinitely good and 
merciful not to forgive a sinner returning to him with sincerity, 
and earnestly soliciting pardon, in the name and through the 
merits of Jesus Christ. 

On the other hand, every good action we perform in the 
state of grace, and from a particular inspiration of the Holy 
Ghost, becomes necessarily meritorious of life everlasting ; 
according to what our Saviour says in the Gospel — " He that 
remaineth in me, is he that bringeth forth much fruit." 
Seeing, therefore, that divine grace is the principle of justifi- 
cation, whereby we are delivered from the empire of Satan, 
the slavery of sin, and eternal misery, the just punishment of 



ON GRACE. 



301 



sin ; and likewise raised to the glorious condition of the 
adoptive children of God, from being children of wrath and 
the offspring of corruption — seeing, moreover, that it is the 
spiritual tie which unites us unto God, and the fruitful 
principle which enlivens and dignifies our actions, so far as to 
make them productive of the rewards and blessings of heaven ; 
is it not with the strictest justice that St. Paul styles it, " a 
most inestimable treasure?" As an estimable treasure, is it 
now looked upon by the world? Do we manifest by our 
actions, by charity to the poor, meekness in our deportment, 
humility under suffering, charity among brethren, and love 
among all, that divine grace is the principle that animates our 
actions 1 Do we cherish it, I say, as St. Paul recommends by 
the parable of an " inestimable treasure ? " If so, we should 
not, surely, be so ready to forfeit this holy grace upon every 
occasion, even for a momentary pleasure or a perishable 
interest. " Learn thy own dignity and greatness," says the 
great St. Leo, " the dignity and greatness to which thou art 
raised by the grace of God, and disdain to fall back to thy 
native baseness and original obscurity." Let us, then, be 
extremely thankful to the infinite goodness of God, who has 
imparted to us his holy grace, in preference to thousands of 
others, who are buried in the dark shades of error and sin ; 
to thousands upon thousands, who, after losing it once, were 
deprived of it evermore. Let us be truly sorrowful for having 
abused it so often by the commission of sin. Let us be 
cautious, in the highest degree, to preserve it for the time to 
come : for although it be a treasure of the greatest value, yet 
it is a treasure we carry about us in a frail and brittle vessel, 
and necessarily draws along with it a certain train of obligations, 
which I shall now endeavour to lay before you. 

Second — The first obligation we contract, with regard to 
divine grace, is gratitude. The common light of reason we 
all possess by nature points out the necessity of at least 
acknowledging the gifts we have received ; and this acknow- 
ledgment should be proportioned to the magnitude or excel- 
lence of the gifts, and the dignity of the hand that bestows 
them. Divine grace is a gift of the greatest magnitude, the 
greatest excellence ; because grace in this life is a sure pledge 
of glory hereafter, and the hand that bestows it is dignified 
beyond comprehension — the God of all glory. It follows then, 
from the light of reason, that grace imposes a debt of acknow- 
ledgment ; and in this debt, all you, my brethren, and I too, 
will be found deeply involved. For this most excellent of 
God's gifts, his holy grace, how often have we not all been 



302 



SERMON VII. 



partakers of ! First — his sanctifying grace in baptism, and 
afterwards as often as we have been reconciled to the 
Almighty after sin, in the tribunal of penance ; secondly — 
his actual grace, or these inward touches of the Holy Ghost, 
which enlighten the mind, and excite the heart to the per- 
formance of good ; thirdly — those graces which prevent and 
inspire, those desires which stir up and enable us to act, 
which begin, continue, and finish all the good we perform — in 
fine, not only those graces which are common to the generality 
of Christians, but likewise those strong, powerful, and victo- 
rious assistances which wean the heart from every unlawful 
affection, and disengage our souls from all inordinate attach- 
ment to the world, to unite them more intimately to God. 
Recollect, I beseech you, how often you have been favoured 
in so singular a manner from heaven ; sum up in your minds 
all the pious thoughts you ever entertained, the holy desires 
you felt in your hearts, the stings of conscience when you had 
sinned, the sorrow and compunction that ensued, the whole- 
some thought of amendment, and the effectual resolution of 
returning to the Lord — these were all so many graces from 
God. 

Add to all this the inestimable favour of being brought up 
in the true faith of Christ ; for had we been born in the dark- 
ness of infidelity, amidst Pagan and unbelieving nations, in 
all appearance we should never have heard of the name of 
Christ, and consequently must have been deprived of the 
knowledge of him, who alone is " the way, the truth, and the 
life." But the great God has been pleased, in his infinite 
mercy, to call us, from the earliest dawn of life, to " the 
admirable light of his Gospel," and to place us, with his own 
hand, in the way that surely leads to eternal happiness. JSow 
let me ask, should not our acknowledgments be unbounded,, 
in proportion as those graces and blessings are unbounded 1 
Have we not just reason to cry out, with the royal prophet, 
" Blessed be for ever and ever the name of the Lord % " who 
has treated us infinitely more mercifully than these unhappy 
nations which cover the wide surface of the earth, and are 
yet as buried in the shades of death. 

However strong the motives are to excite our gratitude, 
from the number and excellence of the favours or graces 
bestowed on us, as well as the supreme dignity of the hand 
that bestows them, still another motive of great magnitude 
arises from a consideration that those great and inestimable 
graces we have so often received were the pure, gratuitous 
favours of the bounty and mercy of the Lord, which we could 



ON GRACE. 



303 



never hope for, or pretend to, of ourselves, or obtain by any 
endeavours of our own : for the grace of God is never due to 
any merit or work of nature • " Otherwise grace were no 
longer grace," as St. Paul says, "but the just reward of our 
works." Again he says — " By grace we are saved, through 
faith ; and this not of ourselves, for it is the gift of God : 
not by works, that no one might boast." So that whatever 
we have received, either as grace or favour, was purely the 
effect of the infinite mercy of Almighty God ; and those 
favours or graces he might as well have bestowed upon 
thousands of others, who certainly would have proved less 
unworthy than we. 

But why does the Lord give his holy grace to some and 
refuse it to others 1 Master as he is of the heart of man, 
and the manifold infallible assistances which are contained in 
the immense treasures of his mercy, why does he not always 
bestow those strong, powerful graces which never fail to rescue 
a sinner from the empire of sin, and lead him on surely to 
eternal happiness 1 For what reason is one nation illustrated 
with the light of the Gospel, whilst others are left to the end 
of life in the ignorance and prejudices in which they were 
bred ? Why does not the sun of justice equally diffuse its 
shining beams over the whole surface of the earth, and not 
confine its happy influence to a few selected people? In the 
contemplation of these profound mysteries human reason is 
lost j and instead of presumptuously undertaking to discuss 
them, we should cry out with St. Paul : " How inscrutable 
are thy judgments," O Lord, "and how unsearchable thy 
ways 1 " He asks elsewhere : " who was ever admitted into 
the secret councils of the Almighty, or who dare take upon 
him to give him advice % " For us it is enough to know that 
Almighty God, in all his actions, is necessarily governed by jus- 
tice and unerring wisdom. It is enough for us to know that he 
grants to all mankind the graces that are necessary and suffi- 
cient to work their salvation, and attain eternal happiness. 
This St. Paul assures us of : " It is the will of God that all 
men be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth : " so 
that if he deals sparingly by some, whilst he pours profusion 
on others, it is because he is pleased to do so, as being the 
great, independent, and uncontrollable master of his gifts. 

For you it is enough to know, that each of you in particular 
has frequently received from Almighty God the most valuable 
blessings — blessings that would have converted thousands 
of others, and raised them to a high degree of piety and 
godliness. In a word, is it not enough for us to know, that 



304 



SERMON VII. 



the Almighty intends, and sincerely wishes to give us all a 
place in his heavenly kingdom, by the many and effectual 
steps he has already taken towards this great end? Here, there- 
fore, let us stand, "fastened to and grounded on this anchor of 
faith," as St. Paul says ; and lay aside all vain, rash, and pre- 
sumptuous researches about the dealings of God with regard 
to others. Let us humbly adore what we cannot comprehend; 
because, whatever a God does must be necessarily just and 
good. Let us gratefully acknowledge the favours we have re- 
ceived from the Lord, rather than arraign his wisdom or 
goodness for not having bestowed the same upon others. This 
is the first obligation we lie under, with regard to the grace of 
God ; the next is, to comply faithfully therewith. 

Almighty God being infinite in all his attributes, it cannot 
be questioned but his wisdom can devise, and his power 
effect an infinity of ways, infallible and sure, of subduing the 
most rebellious hearts, and of bringing them from sin to justice 
and godliness. He it is, as the Gospel says, that can change 
" the very stones into sons of Abraham ; " that is, the most 
hardened sinners into righteous and godly men. Nor can it 
likewise be questioned but the Almighty has it in his power, 
not only to convert the most obdurate and stubborn hearts, 
but also to conduct them surely to the harbour of eternal life, 
in spite of all the opposition they can meet with from the fury 
of their infernal enemies, the wicked examples of this world, 
or the weakness or frailty of their own nature. Notwithstand- 
ing all this, it is an undoubted principle of our holy religion, 
that it is in the power of man to resist the strongest graces 
that are bestowed ; as appears from what St. Stephen said to 
the Jew : " You always resist the Holy Ghost." This must 
necessarily be the case, otherwise the liberty of man would be 
destroyed under the motion and influence of grace, which is an 
error condemned by the Church of God. Therefore, as it is in 
the power of man to resist the grace of God, so it is in his 
power to comply faithfully therewith — and this power implies 
a strict obligation ; for as every grace is an assistance from 
heaven, and granted for some virtuous end, it follows, 
Almighty God will bring us all to a severe account hereafter 
for abusing them, as is clearly laid down by Christ himself — 
" Woe be to thee, Corozain; woe unto thee, Bethsaida ; because 
if the miracles had been done in Tyre and Sidon that have 
been wrought in you, they had long since done penance in 
sackcloth and ashes." 

Let us now consider, my brethren, how much we have to 
fear from the justice of God on this account. Have we been 



ON GRACE. 



305 



of the number of those faithful servants who kept not idle the 
talent they have received, but took care to lay it out to the 
greatest advantage 1 or have we not copied after that careless 
and indolent servant, who buried in the ground the talent that 
was given him, and thereby rendered ineffectual what, in the 
more careful and industrious hands, would prove a fruitful 
source of inexhaustible wealth 1 How often have we resisted 
the grace of God 1 How often, from the perverseness of our 
will, have we refused to comply with such pious emotions as 
the Spirit of Grace was pleased to produce in our hearts % Had 
we been always faithful to the manifold graces of the Lord, 
what improvements would we have not made in virtue ? to 
what a high degree of sanctity would we not have risen] what 
treasures would we not have hoarded towards life everlasting? 
Let us now begin, and for the time to come show ourselves 
more faithful to the grace of God, otherwise we shall suffer : 
but how? — by being deprived of this divine grace we so 
frequently resist and abuse. This is the dreadful punishment 
the Almighty usually inflicts on all those who neglect to make 
the proper use of his holy grace, as Christ declares : " He that 
abounds shall receive more, but he that has nothing," that is, 
he that has added nothing to what he had received, " shall even 
lose what he has." 

Nothing can be more just and reasonable than that the 
Almighty should withdraw his hand, and cease bestowing his 
favours upon men, who not only prove unworthy of them, but 
abuse and resist them. Is it not equally just those favours 
and graces should be transferred unto and bestowed upon 
others, who, by their faithful and constant compliance, make 
them fructify a hundred-fold % Has not our blessed Lord and 
Redeemer, Jesus Christ, assured us in the Gospel, that "people 
shall come from the east and west to the enjoyment of heaven, 
whilst the children of the kingdom are cast forth and excluded 
from it." By the preaching of the Gospel you are to become the 
children of the kingdom; and a sure pledge of this kingdom 
is given you by divine grace : but if you resist it — if you do 
not faithfully co-operate with it the Lord will withdraw it, and 
cast you forth ; whilst he shall bestow it upon others, who, by 
good use thereof, shall become entitled to all the joys of the 
ldngdom of heaven. 

What greater misfortune can befall a Christian, than the 
loss of divine grace 1 What treasure so estimable 1 What loss 
so deplorable ? This treasure includes every good ; its loss 
every evil ; as being a sure forerunner of eternal misery. For 
what is man without divine grace 1 — a compound of sin and 



306 



SERMON VII. 



corruption, surrounded with, dangers lie cannot avoid, beset 
with enemies too strong to overcome, led away with passions 
he can neither quell nor gratify ; in a word, one sunk under 
the completest misery, dead to all hopes of eternal life, and a 
victim doomed to the everlasting torments of hell. 

Dreadful as it is, is not this the situation to which we are 
likely to be reduced 1 Is not the measure of our iniquities so 
far filled up as to force Almighty God to withdraw, I do not 
say all his' graces, for this were too severe and inconsistent 
with his unbounded mercy, but those strong and effectual 
graces which enable us to perform, and make us actually fulfil, 
every essential part of our duty to the very last moment of 
our lives'? Is he not provoked, I say, to impart no other 
assistance but those common and feeble aids, whereby we may, 
but never will, arrive to the kingdom of God 1 The only way 
to prevent this great, this inexpressible misfortune, is, as St. 
Paul directs, "not to receive the grace of God in vain;" that 
is, in other words, to comply faithfully therewith. 

But as this requires a most powerful grace, let us unani- 
mously apply for it to the Almighty God, saying, with the 
great St. Augustine, " Give us, Lord, what you command, 
and command what you will." Treat us with as much 
severity as you please, but do not, at any time, withdraw your 
holy grace from us. As long as you condescend to enlighten 
our minds — to move and excite our hearts, so long we may 
repent ; but if you withdraw your holy grace, all hope is lost ; 
all is lost, and eternal perdition must ensue. Our infidelity 
to your graces, we confess, deserves such severe punishment ; 
but your mercies, O my God ! are beyond our ingratitude or 
weakness. Let it not be in vain that we receive and profess 
the true faith of Christ. Let it not be in vain that we have 
so often shared in your holy graces. Let that predilection you 
have shown us, " O ancient Beauty 1" in calling us early, and 
preserving us hitherto in your saving faith, extend to the last 
moment of life ; that, after praising and adoring the name of 
Christ, the Author of all grace, upon earth, we may eternally 
share in his glory and- triumphs in the kingdom of heaven. 
Amen. 



OX HELL. 



307 



SEBMON YIJI. 

OS HELL. 

"How terrible is this place !" — Gen. c. xviii., v. 17. 

The existence of a place in which the enemies of God in this 
life are punished in the next, and the eternity of. its pains, are 
the pillars of the Christian religion, and a doctrine held 
among the faithful since the earliest ages of the world. Man, 
formed for happiness, has by nature a strong aversion to pain, 
and hastily turns aside from the contemplation, even in idea, 
of those scenes which may possibly prove the woful source of 
pain and anguish hereafter. Hence that cold indifference, 
that languid zeal, with which most people receive the warm 
and charitable admonitions of the ministers of God, when they 
represent the horrid consequences of a life of sin to the sinner, 
and the necessity of penance. But in proportion as this indif- 
ference appears remarkable, the necessity appears the greater 
of awakening by terror him whom sin has allured into a fatal 
indifference or security. For this purpose I feel it incumbent 
on me, this evening, to entertain you, not with the wisdom 
and goodness of God in creating the whole universe with one 
Almighty fiat, which his power governs, and rules, and upholds; 
not with reproaches for your ingratitude in repeatedly insult- 
ing and provoking this great God of power, by your manifold 
sins, and resisting his frequent calls by the preaching of the 
word and the inward motions of his grace ; not, I say, with the 
contemplation of the joys of heaven reserved for the true 
followers of Jesus Christ, in bearing their cross, after his 
example, daring the short period of life here below, in meek- 
ness, humility, patience, and suffering; but in laying before 
you — especially you, O sinner ! a faithful view of that place of 
torture which the Almighty has made in the next life, for the 
exercise of his justice upon sinners, commonly called hell. 

To the contemplation of the horrors of that place of woe, I 
solicit your most favourable attention. Clouds of darkness, I 
know, conceal from human view and from human comprehen- 
sion, a just knowledge of the pains of hell. The knowledge 
of man is limited, and therefore cannot comprehend, much 
less express, anything that is infinite. Aided by the Spirit 
of God, and enlightened by his word in the holy Scriptures, 
let us descend alive into hell, as St. Bernard advises, and 
religiously contemplate the sufferings of the damned, that 
they may influence our conduct, and prevent us from experi- 



308 



SERMON VIII. 



encing them in reality hereafter. Let us examine " how 
terrible is this place," in order thereby to create in our hearts 
a holy "fear of the Lord," which the royal prophet says, "is 
the beginning of wisdom." One of the most effectual and 
usual snares of the enemy of mankind is to remove the thoughts, 
and destroy, if possible, the belief of a hell, whereby men are 
deceived by a false security, and pushed on, blindfolded, or, 
as if in a dream, until at length they awake in the experimental 
knowledge of its sufferings. Prom such fatal delusion, from 
such knowledge, Lord God ! do thou deliver us. Since thy 
abundant mercies, and the great and glorious kingdom thou hast 
prepared for those that love thee, are insufficient to make us 
forsake sin and error, let the terror of thy judgments, of thy 
uplifted arm over the damned in hell, so fill us with a holy fear 
of thy anger, that henceforward we may for ever forsake every- 
thing displeasing to thee, O my God ! and by a life of penance, 
avoid knowing, but in speculation, what hell is, and what the 
damned suffer there. As I have hinted, great uncertainty lies 
before us respecting the particular place of hell, and the nature 
of the torments therein, but sufficient it is for your instruction 
to know, first — the existence of hell, and secondly — that the 
torments therein are extreme. 

First — The general prevalence of impiety and irreligion, the 
decay of morals in a country once celebrated for sanctity, exhibit 
an idea of a people professing religion without faith, or denying 
by their lives the doctrine they profess. Wasting away their 
days in the pursuit of pleasure, and the gratification of animal 
sense, they shut their eyes, and seem insensible to an hereafter, 
or that the criminal actions of this life will be punished in the 
next. Hell to them is a mystery which they wish not to touch 
on ; but lest they may hereafter feel what hell is, let them 
attend to me in exploring its existence, and strive to avoid it 
by a true change of life. 

By hell we understand a secret, unknown, but horrid place 
of suffering, " a place of torments," which Jesus Christ calls it, 
in the Gospel of St. Luke, where those who die in mortal sin 
are", eternally punished in a manner more severe than can be 
imagined. The declarations of Christ on this subject, and the 
circumstances attending such declarations, are so clear and 
strong, as leave no room to doubt they could be understood in 
any other than an obvious and literal sense. " Those," says 
Christ, (meaning the reproved) " shall go into eternal torments : 
begone, ye accursed, into eternal fire." The plain, distinct, 
intelligible manner in which the word of God speaks, is the 
fullest refutation of the objection raised of late by impious 



OS HELL. 



309 



and designing men. The word " eternal," say they, is to be 
understood in a figurative sense, and means no more than an 
immense duration of time. But the circumstance wherein 
Jesus Christ speaks must remove such an objection ; for you 
must observe, in this passage he relates the solemn, definitive 
sentence he is to pronounce at the end of the world on the 
whole race of mankind. Now a last, supreme, irrevocable 
sentence must necessarily be comprised in such clear, decisive 
terms, as to leave no room for doubt or misconception. 
Besides, be pleased to take notice, that in the same sentence 
Christ our Saviour makes mention of the everlasting felicity 
of the just, as well as the interminable sufferings of the 
reproved ; and as this felicity was never understood to be 
confined by any limits of time, but to extend to all eternity, 
whilst God is God, how can any one presume to put a forced 
construction upon the words of Christ, and attribute a mean- 
ing which they never did, never could bear? If hell were only 
a region of transient suffering, if it had its limits, however 
remote, in point of existence, the damned would in reality one 
day be released ; but, according to the oracles of holy Writ, 
this can never be. Besides, God could not be God without 
creating hell, in order to satisfy his justice in punishing sin, 
which, being an attack upon the Divinity, contracts thereby an 
infinite malice ; and as it is an article of faith that after death 
we become incapable of merit or demerit, it follows, that a 
soul quitting the body in mortal sin, remains for ever in that 
same identical state, without alteration, increase, or diminu- 
tion ; and must, of course, become the eternal victim of the 
justice of heaven, in the horrible gulf of hell. 

The unerring Church of God, always guided by the' Holy 
Ghost, has anathematised, from the beginning, all those 
who held or maintained a contrary opinion on this subject. 
Soon as corruption began to spread in the Christian world, 
there arose proud, stubborn, licentious men, who, breaking 
down the barriers of morality, presumptuously called in 
question all such tenets as stood in opposition to their 
lives. But their iniquitous projects were soon confounded, 
and truth restored to its primitive rights : for the eternal 
punishments that are decreed for all those who die in disgrace 
with God were strenuously asserted, and delivered down 
from age to age, as an essential part of divine revelation. 
But how can these eternal punishments be reconciled with the 
infinite goodness of God? Who is the man that dares call 
the Almighty to an account for his actions'? or "which of us 
has been ever introduced," as St. Paul says, " into the secret 



310 



SKRMON VIII. 



and impenetrable councils of the Divinity?" Almighty God 
has certainly revealed this essential point of faith : we know 
from himself that he has fixed a place f or ] unrepenting sinners, 
where everlasting torments shall be their portion ; and what 
God does must surely be founded on justice. 

Although the authorities drawn from the Scriptures be 
sufficient to satisfy the inquiring mind relative to the exist- 
ence of hell, divines go still farther in reasoning upon the 
wisdom and justice of God, in appointing a place, and allotting 
eternal sufferings for the punishment of sin. God, say they, 
created the whole world for his own glory : he could not have 
created it for any other end. As this glory could not be 
obtained but by an exact and constant obedience to his divine 
laws, the wisdom of God required he should employ the most 
effectual means for this end : such means, however, as were 
agreeable to the nature and liberty of man. What means 
were these ? Rewards and punishments. What punishments : 
terrestrial and transitory 1 No ; this would never have 
answered the views of God — for if now, when we see the deep 
abyss of hell opening wide beneath our feet, and the wrath of 
heaven flaming over our heads ; if now. when we know eternal 
woes to be the dreadful pay of sin, so very few are found who 
show their submission to the laws of God, how great and 
universal would the corruption be, were this restraint taken 
off, and our disobedience punished with anything short of the 
devouring flames of hell ! In a supposition of this kind,. I do 
not hesitate to say, the very name of submission or virtue 
would be unknown in the world : it was therefore highly 
justifiable in the Almighty to adopt such methods as must 
have secured his own glory, by compelling mankind, by terror, 
where his love was inoperative, to a due subjection to his holy 
laws. 

This wise and just disposition of Providence becomes the 
more remarkable, as, in the opinion of the fathers, the glory 
of God becomes no less exalted by the reprobation of the 
wicked, and their condemnation to hell, than, as St. Austin 
says, from the exaltation of the elect, and the glory bestowed 
on them in heaven ; for if here he displays his mercy, there 
he shows his justice (two essential attributes in a God) ; here 
he shows his unbounded goodness and the immense treasures 
of his glory, there the terrible effects of his wrath ; here he 
is the glorions rewarder of virtue, there the severe and inex- 
orable avenger of vice ; here, in fine, he rules over man by the 
charms of his love, but there he punishes by the force of 
unresisted power ; whereby is plainly seen the uncontrollable 



OX HELL. 



311 



empire which the sovereign Lord and Master of things has a 
right to exert over all the works of his hands. 

Pursuing these reflections, those men remarkable in all ages 
of the Church for their learning and piety, who have made, 
and do make the law of God the object of their studies, the 
rule of their conduct — divines, I say, observe, that since God 
was pleased to decree punishment for sin, he must have 
observed a just proportion, and of course ordained that 
punishment eternal ; for sin, being an attack upon the supreme 
majesty of God, who is infinite in all his perfections, contracts 
by that attack, as I have suggested to you before, a degree of 
criminality infinitely great, and consequently deserves, as well 
as positively incurs, an infinite punishment. Now, this punish- 
ment cannot be infinitely great in measure (as their language 
runs), man being too narrow a sphere for the unlimited power 
of God to exert itself upon, therefore, it must be infinitely 
great in duration — it must be eternal or everlasting. 
Observe this, sinners ! you who make so little of insulting 
the majesty of God by multiplied and repeated crimes, 
by cursing and swearing by that awful 'Name the sound 
of which claims the homage and veneration of all creatures 
in heaven, on earth, and in hell — a Name which equally con- 
stitutes the joy of the blessed as the terror of the damned : 
observe what sin is, you drunkards ! you sensual and worldly 
men ! you Christians ! for whom mercy is yet in store, 
provided, by a sincere change of life, you call for mercy whilst 
mercy is attainable ; observe, I say, the consequences of sin 
unrepented of, even one sin — for example, a sin in thought, or 
the criminal enjoyment of one moment — eternal punishment. 
The justice of God decreed it ; the justice of God is right. 
To conceive the horror of sin, to conceive the malice of sin, 
much less to express it, is not within the compass of human 
understanding. I know the effects of sin, but I cannot com- 
prehend the malice o£ sin. The eternal wisdom of my God 
conceived it, else he would never have revealed it unto man. 
Our not understanding the mysteries of our faith proves only 
our ignorance or weakness, but not the uncertainty or false- 
hood of what we believe. 

To compare great things with small : suppose, for instance, 
a great and powerful prince had been publicly insulted by 
one of the lowest and meanest of his subjects, no punishment 
would be thought too severe to atone for the atrociousness 
of the offence. If this be deemed both just and equit- 
able, when a mortal man alone is offended, can any punish- 
ment be considered too severe which falls upon those 



312 



SERMON VIII. 



who offend, insult, and wage war against the great and eternal 
King of heaven 1 But comparisons are inadequate to illustrate 
this dark, mysterious point. The dignity of my God, and the 
glory that surrounds his throne, expose the folly of compari- 
son. But true it is, that sin, being a direct violation of the 
law of God, contracts a species of infinity from the infinity of 
the great Being it offends. " Was it not very just," inquires 
the great St. Austin, " that endless torments should be reserved 
for those who wish to enjoy unlawful pleasures without end 1 " 
Endless torments are certainly due to sin ; and equally cer- 
tain it is, that endless torments would have been the certain 
lot of all the descendants of Adam, in consequence of the sin 
of Adam, and of their own personal sins, had not the love of 
Jesus Christ interposed in our favour. In his ignominy, in his 
humiliations, in his sufferings upon the cross, consider what 
sin is, what hell is, what heaven is. 

So black and foul is sin, that were all the angels in heaven, 
and all the just upon earth, to lay down their lives in atone- 
ment to the divine justice for one mortal sin, that sin would 
not be blotted out ; because the infinite justice of God 
required infinite satisfaction, which no finite being could give. 
Jesus Christ, therefore, the second person of the Most Holy 
Trinity, God from all eternity, became man, as related in the 
Gospel, and by his merits and sufferings, under the appearance 
of a sinner, not only blotted out sin and rescued us from hell, 
but moreover, purchased our primitive title to the kingdom of 
heaven, provided we fulfil his holy laws. But the deplorable 
perversity of a sinner is such, that notwithstanding the obe- 
dience and love he owes God, in return for his unbounded 
love towards him; notwithstanding the injunctions he lays 
clown for him, with heaven on the one hand, and hell on the 
other ; notwithstanding the uncontrollable power and inflexible 
justice of the sovereign Lord of the universe, by sin he rejects 
the favour of God and the possession of heaven, and also 
accepts of his eternal abode in hell. 

On hell thus have the fathers reasoned, and sufficient is 
this to remove any seeming difficulty that may attend this 
fundamental point of our faith. An inquiry into the par- 
ticular place where hell is, is equally useless as vain : useless, 
because the knowledge thereof can be attended with no 
salutary consequence ; and vain, because vain and frivolous is 
all inquiry grounded on conjecture. In the holy Scriptures 
hell is called by various names : " The lake of the wrath of 

God a pool of fire and brimstone."— Rev. "A land of 

darkness and misery." — Job. All which are but terms merely 



ON HELL. 



313 



conformable to our ideas of what is terrible. Bat it is gene- 
rally believed, and this belief is supported by the parable of 
Dives in the Gospel, that hell is extremely remote, or in direct 
opposition to heaven. It is related that those above (meaning 
the blessed) cannot descend to the residence of Dives, nor can 
he ascend where A braham is, on account of a prodigious gulf 
or distance. Now the terms descend and ascend are well 
understood, and lead to the belief that heaven is placed far 
beyond all the works of the creation, and that hell lies below 
us, or under our feet. Whether under our feet means the 
centre of this globe, or any other orb in the planetary or 
celestial system, is an hypothesis more likely to gratify idle 
speculation than useful knowledge. The knowledge I wish to 
convey to you will prove useful, if, carrying in your recollec- 
tion the existence of hell, the eternity of its torments, which 
are never to be lessened, and that " out of hell there is no 
redemption," you effectually reform your lives, leave oil 
sinning, and return, though late, to the Lord your God. 
''Remember your last things," says the Spirit of God — death, 
judgment, hell, and heaven — "and you will never sin." 

Getting up and lying down, morning and evening, amidst 
your ordinary occupations of life, but especially when any 
temptation, or even suggestion to sin, attacks you, remember 
the burning flames of hell, which were made for sin alone. 
Recollect that a consent to that temptation or this suggestion, 
may induce Almighty God to cut short your life by a sudden 
death, or that the earth may open under your feet, as it did 
under Core, and swallow you up alive into hell. Forsake, 
then, in future, all unlawful pleasure — refrain from drunken- 
ness, lest God may call you drunk to judgment; from all 
injustice, for he is the God of justice ; from imprecations, from 
blasphemy, for holy is his name, and all the angels in heaven 
unceasingly call him Holy ! holy ! holy ! from lewd and obscene 
discourses and scandalous conversations. Ah ! why will you 
expose yourselves to eternal perdition for the empty gratifica- 
tion of one moment ? No, my dear brethren, do not. Return 
back to the Lord your God. Return to him who calls on you 
from the cross; who keeps open the gate of heaven, and 
tenderly invites you to enter in. Remember the greatest 
sinners have proved the greatest saints. The fear of hell 
brought them back to a true sense of their danger ; and what 
began through fear, ended in charity, or the love of God. 
The fear of hell has peopled the deserts with austere hermits 
and venerable anchorites, who fled from the snares of life. 
The fear of hell has made savage forests, bleak mountains, 

x- 



314 



SERMON VIII. 



lonely valleys, dismal solitudes, and frightful caverns, resound 
with lamentations of penance and the sweet harmony of praise 
and jubilation. We all deserved hell more than once, as every 
mortal sin made is liable to hell-fire. Our good God has 
hitherto spared us, in patient expectation of our amendment. 
He has given us time ; he now offers grace and forgiveness. 
Beware of abusing his present invitation ; beware of that place 
of woe announced in the Scriptures, asserted by the Church, 
and founded on the most essential attributes of God — his 
glory, his goodness, and his justice — for the pains of hell are 
no less certain in their existence than dreadful in their nature, 
as I come now to lay before you. 

Second — Hell would be no longer that terrible place an- 
nounced in the holy writings, had not pain, and the eternal 
existence of that pain, combined and mutually co-operated to 
render it terrible beyond the reach of expression. The pains 
of hell are twofold in their nature — the pain of loss and the 
pain of sense or human comprehension. The pain of loss con- 
sists in being deprived of that sovereign good — Almighty God; 
and that supreme happiness — heaven, for which the soul was 
made. 

The correct notion she has, in her immortal state, of the 
beauty and charms of God, are such, that the most vehement 
desires of an union with him, which the reproved can never 
obtain, tear and torment her most cruelly. I have no idea 
that can convey to you any correct notion how great the 
anguish is of a soul repelled from an union with God. Encum- 
bered on earth with a heavy load of flesh, which undoubtedly 
obscures the functions of the soul, we imperfectly know but 
little of her faculties, and that little chiefly by the operation 
of the senses — disencumbered of the body, the full perfections 
of her nature blaze out, and the first act of her new state is a 
violent impulse to the great Author of her being, the Fountain 
of Happiness. The loss of God in the next life may at present 
make little impression on your minds ; but, in the opinion of 
divines, it will cause greater pain than all the other torments 
of hell united ! 

Born for happiness, happiness is our strongest pursuit — and, 
disguise it under what colours we may, happiness is the prin- 
ciple that governs and animates every action of ours in life. 
The various amusements, and other decoys of life, so far blunt 
the edge that necessarily attends this passion, that during the 
existence of mortality its propelling powers are unknown. But 
when disengaged from the body, and no longer liable to the 
impositions of the senses, then this passion bursts forth, in its 



ON HELL. 



315 



full extent. The soul then knows the beauty and perfections 
of her great Maker ; but she knows, also, that for her sins 
here on earth she is for ever cut off from any intercourse with 
him, but as a victim for his avenging justice. The greatness 
of her loss, and the greatness of the folly that caused this loss, 
are two ideas that seize her, and that never cease tormenting 
her ; the one with black despair — the other with bitter self- 
reproaches : " The clear vision of God, the joys of heaven, the 
incomprehensible glory the just and good are now in possession 
of, were once for me ; but are for me no more ! " That thought 
will pierce her more than fire, and make her torments double. 
What is more, she shall never be able to forget it. But listen : 
" My dream of life is over. I have spent it in pleasures, in 
opulence, and honour. What avail they now 1 — Miseries. By 
whose fault 1 ? — My own." This is the worm that shall not 
cease tormenting them. " Their worm dieth not," says St. 
Mark. The worm of conscience lays before them continually 
the magnitude of their loss, and the magnitude of their folly. 
The distraction caused in the mind by the most calamitous 
events in life, can but ill represent the agony of the damned 
for their exclusion from heaven; yet, as confusion and misery 
are seen to follow from the humiliation of the great and the 
exalted here below, I shall relate one instance or two of this. 
King Assuerus, one of the successors of those princes who 
overturned the Chaldean empire, had raised to honours far 
beyond any princes of his extensive empire, his favourite coun- 
sellor, Aman. The ambition, however, of this distinguished 
prince still aspired to higher honours. The king consulted 
him how he should honour one whom he intended to honour ; 
and Aman, imagining himself the object of the king's regards, 
advised that he should be clothed in the royal garments, and 
his horse led by the first prince of the empire through the city 
of Susan. " Do so by Mardochai," said the king. So Prince 
Aman was obliged to lead Mardochai's horse ; and the Scrip- 
ture says, he returned home "mourning, and his head covered." 
Conceive, if you can, the pain of mind a sovereign prince must 
feel on being pulled down from his throne, and degraded below 
any one of his subjects. Such has been the case with Sedecias, 
king of Judea, against whom Nebuchodonosor fought ; and 
when Jerusalem was on the point of being taken, he fled by 
night, but being pursued, was taken on the plains of Jericho. 
On being brought before the king, his enemy, he first ordered 
the sons of Sedecias to be slain in the father's presence, and 
after that, his own eyes to be plucked out. In this miserable 
condition, reduced from his royal rank and loaded with heavy 



316 



SERMON VIII. 



chains, was he brought to Babylon. Humiliations so cruel 
must have been more afflicting to Sedecias than the severest 
death. But if this be the consequence of losing a perishable 
crown, what concern, what anxiety must the damned feel for 
the loss of the kingdom of heaven. 

To the interior anguish of the mind arising from the pain 
of loss, the damned must feel the anguish arising from the 
immediate action of fire, called the pain of sense. As we are 
all to resume our bodies at the day of judgment, the Almighty 
God has instituted and ordained the fire of hell, chiefly to 
punish the body, which had been the base instrument of 
iniquity upon earth. Fancy, therefore, unto yourselves a 
vast ocean of fire, according to the beautiful figure of St. 
John in the Revelations, and all the reproved plunged, 
both soul and body, into this burning pool. Fancy to your- 
selves how this fire must penetrate, in one instant, their 
flesh, their bones, the marrow of the bones, and reduce 
them all into one flaming mass of fire. Here are they 
for ever burning, but never consuming. " The same fire that 
consumes them," says Tertullian, " by a surprising miracle of 
the justice of God, renews continually the substance of their 
bodies, to make them a new and constant prey to new and 
continual fires." It must be so, my brethren ; it must be a 
fire differing from all other fires ; a fire blown up by the 
flaming wrath of an exasperated God : a fire that shall 
punish, that shall torment, that shall overwhelm in woe all 
those who despise his authority, and trample on his laws here 
on earth. 

On earth all pain and sorrow are limited. Beyond a cer- 
tain degree human nature cannot suffer. Besides, pain is 
intermitted here, and is followed by casual comfort. Were it 
possible for all the sufferings arising from indignities, sickness, 
or pain, to which human nature is liable, were they all united 
and centred in one person, still that person should have the 
comfort (and a great comfort it is) that one time or other 
these sufferings would end. At worst they must end with 
life. Besides, the consolation of a friend, the light of day, 
balmy sleep, pity, and other auxiliaries, all contribute to re- 
move perfect misery from all human woes. But into hell hope 
never enters — no mitigation, no relaxation. Clothed in immor- 
tality as well as the blessed in heaven, immortal torments are 
their lot. Their consoling, pitying friends — devils, who aggra- 
vate their torments by their hideous figures and horrid yells. 
Cries and groans and tears and gnashing of teeth, mutual and 
self-reproaches, maledictions, and blasphemies are their eternal 



OX HELL. 



317 



occupations. There shall the glutton — there shall those insen- 
sible to the claims of the poor — there shall the drunkard, who 
makes a god of his belly, cry out with Dives, " O how we are 
tormented in these flames ! " There shall the blasphemer call 
out, but call in vain, for one drop of water to cool his tongue : 
that tongue given him to speak the praises of his great Creator, 
but which in direct opposition to his command, he has made 
the foul instrument of cursing, swearing, lying, and backbiting, 
shall then be cruelly but justly burned and inflamed. The 
voluptuous shall feel new and unheard of torments in their 
bowels. Those wicked hands, employed in life in stripping 
the widow and orphan, in violently opposing might to right, 
shall then be bound in everlasting chains. " They shall be 
salted with fire ; " the burning fire of God's anger shall salt 
them and miraculously preserve them from consumjDtion or 
decay, in order to become the eternal victims of his inflamed 
justice. The brain shall boil for all the bad thoughts, evil 
designs, wicked counsels, bad advice, and all the black catalogue 
of crimes which originate there. Distraction and madness 
shall not come to its relief : I mean that madness and distrac- 
tion attended by a derangement of the intellectual faculties. 
No ; the miserable recollection of what the soul lost, shall add 
double fires to what she feels. The heart formed for the love 
of the Creator, but abused by a criminal attachment to, and 
love of the creature, shall there burn, not with the chaste 
fires of divine love, but with the unquenchable fires of God's 
hatred ! 

The sinner, St. John speaks in his Revelations, " shall drink 
of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mingled with pure 
wine in the cup of his wrath, and shall be tormented with fire 
and brimstone." Something inflammatory and overpowering, 
possessing largely the qualities of brimstone, shall increase 
the fires the sinner shall feel. He shall not possess those evils 
in a small degree, like sipping at a vessel. He shall largely 
partake of them. He shall " drink ; " he shall feel the aveng- 
ing hand of God vindicating his justice, in adding to those 
evils " which are mingled with pure wine in the cup of his 
wrath." 

Could we, protected by a special Providence, view the 
horrid caverns of hell, there should we see involved in greater 
calamities than I have mentioned, many of our acquaintances 
and friends, perhaps relations, whom the justice of God called 
out of this life. Then should they say what I now say to you, 
Beware of this place of woe. Take example — take counsel — 
do not wait to learn in hell " how horrible it is to fall into 



318 



SERMON VIII. 



the hands of the living God." Begin this day to forsake the 
broad way of the world, which surely ends in hell. Begin and 
take up a life of penance, for short and uncertain is the term 
of life, and the end of penance is joy. Take up the cross and 
the commandments, which you have so often by your conduct 
trampled under foot, and they will surely lead you to life 
everlasting. For, let me ask you with the prophet Isaias, 
" Which of you can dwell with devouring fire 1 which of you 
shall dwell with everlasting burnings 1 " Unless thy mercy 
calls us to a speedy repentance, which of us, Lord God, shall 
escape that "fire" — -those "burnings'?" Which of you, let 
me ask, could endure to hold his little finger for five minutes 
over a candle ? I don't know what consideration could induce 
the poorest of you, my brethren, to do so. 

Reflect, then, I beseech you, on hell, where pain is torture, 
and torture agony. Have pity on your own souls, and save 
them, by a true conversion from the terrible fire of hell, com- 
pared to which St. Austin says : " the fire of this life is like a 
painted fire." " Your enemy, the devil, like a roaring lion, 
is constantly roaming about, seeking whom to devour ; resist 
him," St. Peter desires you. Turn to the Lord and call on 
him for aid. If in heaven he be the great rewarder of virtue, 
the dreadful avenger of sin in hell, on earth he is the patient, 
forbearing, tender Father, calling and wishing the return of 
his strayed children. To us he has been much more merciful 
than to thousands upon thousands, who now lie buried in hell 
for lesser crimes than we have committed. Should he call us 
out of this world this night, O Jesus, how deplorable would be 
our case ! Return then, I say ; forsake your evil ways, and 
return unto the Lord your God. Do penance whilst penance 
is acceptable, lest the dreadful night of eternity should open 
on you, and sufferings without fruit, without measure, without 
end, should seize you. 

Hell would no longer be that terrible place I have endea- 
voured to lay before you, but for the eternity of its torments. 
From this eternity alone you are to form a true notion of 
hell. But when I am unable by reason to comprehend, much 
less to calculate by any art the full term of that dreadful sound 
— eternity — how shall I impress you with any correct notion 
relative thereto 1 I amuse you with calculations, but these, 
in attempting to penetrate eternity, only expose the ignorance 
as well as the folly of such attempt. I may demand your 
steady attention to comprehend numbers — and numbers, to a 
certain degree, may be comprehended — but in eternity num- 
bers are lost. You may comprehend the extension of one 



OX HELL. 



319 



year, composed of months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds 
of time ; you may comprehend a thousand years, or even a 
million of years, composed of the small particles of seconds. 
Suppose now a million of ages for every second of time in a 
million of years ; this would form an extent of time beyond 
human comprehension. Were the pains of hell to end with 
this term, though extremely remote, hell would lose the 
greatest curse it is afflicted with, and the hope of deliverance 
would console the damned in their torments. But all hope is 
cut off, for when this column of time shall have passed over, 
eternity then will be but beginning. 

Now I dare say it would be found very unpleasant to be 
tied down for one's life, suppose thirty or forty years, on a bed 
of roses. If laid on a bed of thorns how much more dreadful ! 
But hell, the dreadful abode of the damned, shall continue 
invariably to torment with inexpressible pains, every part, 
both in soul and body, of the miserable victims, for a period 
beyond the reach of calculation or human comprehension — for 
eternity. The Holy Ghost says so by the pen of St. John : 
" And the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever 
and ever, neither have they rest day nor night." Lord God ! 
why dost thou mention " clay," where no day, but eternal 
night and everlasting horror dwell 1 To let you see the 
uniformity, the regularity, the constancy of their torments — 
" Their worm shall never die, and their fire shall never be 
quenched." For though day succeeds night and night day 
with us, with them all is horrid darkness, horrid pain, horrid 

ETERNITY. 

Pull fifty ages are passed away, and more too, since the 
murderer of his brother, the unhappy Cain, became the sad 
victim of the fire of hell, and yet he feels, and suffers, and 
moans as much this instant as in the first moment of his 
immersion. He is only beginning his sufferings. Eternity 
lies before him, and for eternity he must suffer without hope 
or mitigation. Where time ends, there eternity begins, for in 
eternity time is swallowed up. The dreadful thoughts of 
eternity, attended by eternal pain, are sufficient to strike 
terror into the most undaunted hearts. 

You brave, courageous, undaunted sinners — -you who now 
abuse the abundant mercies of the Lord, waiting for your 
repentance, how shall you withstand the extended arm of the 
Lord, stretched out in vengeance over you for eternity'? Why 
then do you resist his calls, his invitations 1 His tender 
mercies now invite you to the ways that lead to life ever- 
lasting. To repentance he invites you ; but he invites like a 



320 



SERMON IX. 



God : lie offers mercy, but he threatens vengeance ; for 
" every tree that brings not forth good fruit shall be cut down 
and cast into fire." 

Before we take leave of this " land of darkness, covered 
with the gloomy shades of death, where " Job says, " no order 
but eternal horror and confusion dwell," where to the pain of 
loss is added the pain of sense, and both eternal — let us pause 
a while, in order to draw some useful lesson. That lesson is 
pointed out by Jesus Christ himself : " if thy foot scandalize 
thee, cut it off." Cut off sin by the root, which scandalizes 
thee before God and his angels, and cast it off. Cut off 
cursing and swearing, lies, fraud, slander, intemperance, 
drunkenness, all injustice and idleness. Cut up your passions 
by the root. Cast away bad company, bad words, evil 
thoughts; and unchaste looks. Forsake the region of death 
where you live. Return by penance. Call on Jesus, and he 
will hear you ; for he says, " It is better for thee to enter lame 
into life everlasting, than having two feet to be cast into the 
hell of unquenchable fire." From this fire, Almighty God, do 
thou deliver us ; and receive in mercy thy servants returning 
to thee. We acknowledge thy power in creating, and thy 
justice in inflicting the pains of hell for the punishment of 
sin, and that often, very often, we deserved to feel the terrible 
effects of thy justice. As thou hast spared, spare ns still — 
still let thy protecting mercy cover us ; that atoning by our 
future lives for the follies and crimes of the past, we may not 
only escape the ever burning flames of hell, but likewise 
receive admittance, through Jesus Christ, into the glorious 
kingdom of heaven. Amen. 



SERMON IX. 

ON THE WORD OF GOD. 
" The sower went forth to sow his seed." — Luke, c. viii., v. 5. 
It is easy to conceive what high and pleasing expectations 
this careful and vigilant husbandman must have entertained 
at this time of his provident industry. After choosing the 
most proper season of the year, employing the best seed, and 
bestowing all the care and industry he was capable of, he goes 
forth, the Gospel says : " He went forth to sow his seed," full 
of the hopes of the rich fruits he had a right to expect from 
his toils and labours. But unhappily the harvest was small — 
for it is related that part of the seed fell by the way side, and 



0>~ THE WORD OF GOD. 



321 



was trodden upon, and the birds of the air came and ate it 
up. Another part fell upon stony ground ; and having shot 
up, it withered, because it had not moisture. Another part 
fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up together, choked 
it. But the last part fell upon good ground, and having 
grown up, yielded fruit a hundred fold. 

This mysterious parable, as related by Jesus Christ himself, 
he was pleased also to expound, and in the exposition you will 
see what daily passes before your eyes. The seed, says Christ, 
is the word of God ; and they by the way side are those who 
hear it ; then the devil comes and takes away the seed, lest 
believing, they should be saved. They upon stony ground, 
are those who, when they have heard it, receive the word with 
joy j and these have no root who believe for a while, and in 
the time of temptation fall back. And that part which fell 
upon thorns, are they who have heard, and going away, are 
entangled with the cares, the riches, and pleasures of this life, 
and yield no fruit. But that upon good ground are they, 
who with a good, a very good heart, hearing the word, retain 
it, and with patience bring forth fruit. Behold, here, the 
precious advantages of hearing the word of God as it should 
be heard ; of receiving it as it should be received ; because it 
brings forth fruit a hundred fold, infinite in value, infinite in 
duration. Besides contemplating the advantages, behold, also, 
the sad calamities that flow from hearing it, and neglecting 
by virtuous actions to bring forth fruit; the devil comes, and 
banishing it from the mind, takes possession of his own 
habitation ; temptation comes — the word of God is forgotten ; 
virtue is weak — all is lost. Next come the friends of hell, 
transformed into angels of light — the occupations, the cares, 
the riches and the pleasures of this world, which choke up the 
word of God, in its bud, and blast it in its birth. Thus the 
seed intended by the husbandman, J esus Christ, to bring forth 
fruit that should ripen for eternity, is rendered sterile ; and 
becomes by abuse the evident cause of all the evils and vices 
that disgrace Europe this day, and this country in particular. 
Prom the grand elevation to which the word of God, cherished, 
would undoubtedly have raised us, how low are we reduced 
by abusing it ! To remedy this abuse for the future, I shall 
lay before you — 

First, the excellence of the word of God ; and 
Secondly, the means of making it profitable to our souls. 
From the knowledge we have, Lord, of our weakness and 
inability, do thou assist us by thy powerful grace, that the 
word of life, which I am bound this day to proclaim to thy 



322 



SERMON IX. 



servants here assembled, may sink deep in their hearts, reform 
their lives, and produce fruits worthy of eternal life ! 

First — The excellence of the word of God, or preaching,, 
will appear from two considerations ; first, that it is a real 
intimation of the will of God, and next, that it is a powerful 
means of procuring our eternal salvation. 

That preaching is an intimation, and the usual channel of 
conveying to the faithful the will of God, appears from its 
institution, and from the universal practice of the ministers of 
the Gospel, from the foundation of Christianity. Jesus Christ, 
by his blessed example, instituted and afterwards commissioned 
his apostles, and all their lawful successors to the end of the 
world : " Go," says he, " and teach all nations." This high 
commission is what St. Paul means, in writing to the Corin- 
thians, " Let a man so look upon us, not as men who act in a 
private or common capacity: No; but as the ministers of Christ 
and the dispensers of the mysteries of God." And again "We 
are therefore ambassadors of Christ : God as if it were 
exhorting by us : " that is to say, teaching and instructing by 
our ministry ; and lest any one should imagine that these words 
were applicable to the apostles alone, and not equally to their 
successors, St. Paul tells that, " our Saviour hath appointed 
in his Church, some apostles, some doctors, some pastors, and 
others prophets ; " otherwise, men whose province it is to* 
teach and expound unto the flock of Christ the saving truths 
of the Gospel. So that, any man who is charged by his law- 
ful superior with " the ministry of the word," as St. Paul 
styles it, is in reality an ambassador of Christ, inasmuch as 
he is sent by the Representative of Christ upon earth, the 
Head of the Church by legal authority, to announce unto the 
people the kingdom of God. 

As often, therefore, as you hear a man deputed by the 
Church announcing the truths of the Gospel, you should look 
upon his words, and attend to them, as the words of life : 
because they are in reality the words which Jesus Christ hath 
announced unto us, in the person of his representative upon 
earth, to announce unto others. Let our private failings be 
what they may ; though want of abilities may depreciate 
some, and frailties others ; though much inferior in talents 
and natural endowments to many of our hearers ; we are, not- 
withstanding all this, "the assistants of God," as St. Paul 
expresses it, " in the conversion of souls, and the completing 
the ministry to the perfecting of the saints." Who could 
have greater failings than the Scribes and Pharisees, whom 
our Saviour compares to so many painted sepulchres, which, 



OX THE WORD OF GOD. 



323- 



at the very time that they exhibit to the eye the fairest out- 
side, are nothing within but stench and putrefaction ? Yet 
Christ ordered his disciples to hear them with respect, atten- 
tion, and docility. Why so 1 Because they were seated on 
the chair of Moses ; or, in other words, because they were 
authorised and commissioned to deliver, and explain the law 
of Moses unto the people. Because, holding the chair of Moses, 
they, in the Old Law, in explaining the prophets, fulfilled that 
branch of our function under the new, namely, preaching the 
word of God. 

Let no consideration, therefore, ever hinder you from paying 
a due regard to the word of God. Eloquence, indeed, is very 
apt to create and command esteem. The graces of speech, 
genteel delivery, becoming action, with all the ornaments of 
discourse, are very pleasing to the mind and ear : but all this 
when weighed in the scale of reason, is no more than an 
empty sound ; the short-lived work, and insignificant creation 
of man. Whereas the words of life we deliver from this chair 
of truth, as ministers of Christ, carry along with them, in- 
dependently of any care or industry of our own, the greatest 
weight and energy ; and, of course, are more worthy of esteem 
than the most elaborate productions of any other kind. They 
are not the words of man, but of Christ ; the real intimation of 
his will, and likewise the most powerful means of procuring our 
eternal salvation. 

This we may easily infer from many instances, both in the 
Old and the New Law. As often as the Jews rebelled against 
the Almighty, what methods were employed to recall them 
from their errors to a just obedience to God'? Preaching 
alone. The Lord always sent them prophets, that is to say, 
men full of his own Spirit, who possessed that warmth of zeal 
which was requisite to upbraid them with their ingratitude, 
reproach them with their disorders, and lay before them the 
dreadful consequences that must attend their continuing any 
longer in their disobedience to God. Upon the frequent and 
pathetic remonstrances those prophets made, the Jews seldom 
or never failed to acknowledge their transgressions, bewail 
them with bitterness, and sincerely return unto the Lord. This 
sincere return always did, as it always will, draw down the 
mercies of heaven ; and as often as they returned, so often were 
they forgiven. 

Was it not by preaching that the Christian religion was 
established all over the known and habitable world, notwith- 
standing the opposition it met with from the fury of hell, the 
false wisdom of this world, the dreadful war of vice, and the 



324 



SERMON IX. 



corruption of the heart of man 1 Yes : it was by the ministry 
of the word that the empire of idolatry was overturned, the 
sway of passion checked and restrained ; the domination of 
sin and error prostrated, and the:,reign of virtue and godliness 
established upon the most solid and unshaken foundations. 
Read the Epistles of St. Paul, and you will be astonished how 
many great nations and countries, differing from each other as 
well in climate as in their language, laws, and customs, have 
been converted to the faith by his preaching alone. At the 
two first sermons of St. Peter, you are told by St. Luke, that 
three thousand were converted at the one, and five thousand at 
the other. But how many thousands of thousands did not 
twenty-four years of his assiduous apostolic labours, and the 
collected labours in preaching and teaching of the College of 
Apostles in the different regions of the world, bring [in to the 
fold of Christ ? What wonders have been done in Asia, by 
the preaching of St. Francis Xavier, and even at home here by 
St. Patrick. Is it not by the preaching of a few apostolic 
men, that new and large additions are daily made, both in the 
East and West Indies, to the spiritual kingdom of Christ 1 
There is not any year of our lives but thousands of souls are 
brought over, by the preaching of the Gospel, from the dark- 
ness of idolatry or infidelity in which they had been buried, 
" to the admirable light of faith," as St. Paul calls it. 

Is it not by preaching that the spirit of religion is nour- 
ished and kept alive among those who had imbibed its prin- 
ciples in their earliest infancy] Wherever preaching is ob- 
structed religion is on the decline. It droops and languishes, 
like a dying flame, which for want of nourishment grows 
fainter and fainter, until reduced at length so low as barely 
to subsist ; but soon as the word of God is restored, religion 
revives and shines in full lustre ; like the morning sun, which 
appears more bright and beautiful because it lay concealed 
for some time from our sight. Consult your own experience 
on this head ; look back into those times when the word of 
God was scarcely heard. What a situation was religion in ? 
If since there be any change, attribute the glory to none but 
God ; for as the apostle says, " It is neither he that plants, 
nor he that waters the tender plants, but God alone that 
gives the increase." The providence of God is then the great 
principle that, directing the operations of his holy word on the 
hearts of men, brings about a thorough change and reforma- 
tion in morals, and finally becomes the great means of their 
salvation. 

To a sincere conversion, my brethren, and of course, to 



ON THE WORD OF GOD. 



325 



salvation, what are usually the two greatest obstacles 1 Is it 
not blindness in the understanding, and corruption in the 
heart, which frequently increase to that degree as to make 
us love and cherish the disorders to which we are slaves % 
Now certainly the word of God is a most powerful means of 
removing those obstacles, as it is clear that nothing is more 
capable of banishing all darkness and ignorance from the 
mind, since we are thereby instructed in every part of our 
duty towards God, our neighbour, and ourselves. ' Is it not 
from the pulpit you are told bold truths, which a certain 
decency would prevent uttering upon other occasions % Here 
you have been told before, and I tell you again, that your 
lives are in constant opposition to the maxims of Christ ; and 
that whilst you continue to live as you do, you can have no 
claim to the kingdom of God. Is it not from this chair of 
truth you are informed that the overcharges you make in your 
dealings, your conniving at the frauds and injustices of 
others, adulterating your goods, or perhaps using false weights 
and measures, are so many criminal actions, which if you re- 
fuse to make a just reparation for, you can never enter the 
kingdom of heaven 1 Is it not from the pulpit you are told, 
in the words of St. Paul, that " all adulterers, all drunkards 
and blasphemers, all covetous and rapacious men : that is to 
say, the unjust invaders of their neighbour's property, will 
never enter the kingdom of God T Is it not by preaching you 
are instructed, that in order to be saved it is not enough to 
refrain from certain gross vices, such as murder, adultery, and 
theft ; (from which in general, the very pagans themselves 
refrain ;) but you must likewise practise the virtues prescribed 
by the gospel — humility, charity, meekness, self-denial, the love 
of God above all things, and of your neighbour as yourself % 
Is it not by the word of God that the sinner's heart is roused, 
alarmed, stormed amidst its criminal enjoyment, and at length 
rescued from all its disorders 1 Here all the prevailing, en- 
dearing motives of religion are blended and united together to 
face sin, and to engage the sinner to forsake his evil ways, and 
return unto the Lord. One time we lay before the woe-worn, 
oppressed mortal, before feeble infirmity and pining misery, a 
lively picture of the unspeakable joys of heaven, the torrents 
of delights that wait for them above, where the just and the 
good, where patient suffering and true piety, are to be crowned 
and immersed for ever in the liveliest ecstacy ; and we beseech 
them to consider if such great and incomprehensible felicity 
is not worth all their cares, their woes, their sufferings, their 
patience, and their piety. Another time, we transport the 



326 



SERMON IX. 



sinner in idea into the flaming gulf of hell, and give him 
thereby room to reflect and to see how great the folly and 
madness is, to purchase eternal misery and sufferings amidst 
ever-living, all- devouring, and yet never-consuming flames, 
for the short-lived pleasure of one moment's sinful enjoyment. 
Now we remind you of all that God hath suffered for your 
salvation ; of the death and passion of Jesus Christ, your 
Saviour ; we reproach you withal for being so blind, or so 
perverse, as to defeat his merciful views by rushing headlong 
into perdition, notwithstanding the blood of a God was shed 
for you on the cross, whereof the least drop, in the opinion of 
divines, was enough to save a thousand sinful and corrupted 
worlds ! 

Now, my brethren, I leave yourselves to judge, if a sinner 
must not be deaf to all the suggestions of grace, and blind to 
the light and principles of faith, to resist such pressing motives 
of conversion 1 " The word of God," says St. Paul to the 
Hebrews, " is quick and effectual, more penetrating than any 
two-edged sword, and piercing even unto the dividing of the 
soul and spirit." Besides those inherent qualities, a special 
and particular grace always attends the hearing of the word of 
God. As it is most certain that all the preaching in the world 
cannot convert a soul without the assistance of heaven ; so it 
is an undoubted principle, that there are very special assist- 
ances annexed to preaching : for Jesus Christ says to his 
disciples, "It is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your 
Father that speaketh in you." It follows, therefore, that the 
arts of persuasion, or the flowers of eloquence, or the figures 
of speech, or " the studied expressions of human wisdom," as 
St. Paul calls them, are not the means by which the ministers 
of Christ can expect to do good : No ; but by virtue of the 
cross, or that grace which was merited by J esus Christ upon 
the cross. We may indeed move and strike the air, but it is 
the Spirit of God alone that produces the victorious sound and 
strikes the heart. 

This divine assistance, so indispensably necessary for doing 
good, is always bestowed or offered by that God who insti- 
tuted preaching as a means to establish and promote his 
spiritual kingdom upon earth. Whilst the ministers of the 
Gospel announce the truths of salvation unto the ear, the 
Spirit of God descends into the heart, to make it docile to the 
outward sound and vibrate to his holy grace. Hence arise 
these pious emotions, which you always feel more powerful 
during the ministry of the word than upon other occasions ; a 
sincere sorrow for sin ; a strong resolution of renouncing it for 



ON THE WORD OF GOD. 



327 



ever ; a more perfect love of God, and the warmest desires of 
eternal happiness. 

Seeing, therefore, that the word of God is of the greatest 
virtue and efficacy, how comes it to pass that it does not 
produce this hundred-fold mentioned in the Gospel 1 For the 
very same reason that in physic the best remedies are often 
unproductive of any effects, either because of the indisposition 
of the patient, or the abuse of the remedy. The word of God 
is very capable of producing the choicest fruits of justice : 
nevertheless it is very often frustrated in its effects by the 
abuse we make of it, as I shall briefly lay before you in the 
second part of this discourse. 

Second — A part of the seed which the farmer, or husband- 
man, went out to sow, fell by the wayside, and a part of it on 
a bad and unfruitful soil. Thus, there are many Christians 
who never put themselves in the way of hearing the word ; or 
hear it with such dispositions of the mind as must deprive it 
of its effects. Now the way to make the word of God profit- 
able to our souls, is, first, to hear it ; and, secondly, to hear it 
with a spirit of religion. 

" Happy are those," says our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, " that hear the word of God but how few are they 
to whom this happiness extends ! Is not every little trifle 
enough to hinder the Christians of our days, especially the 
genteeler part, from assisting at the. word of God 1 The 
hindrance one time is a party of pleasure they cannot break ; 
another time an entertainment for friends they cannot dis- 
appoint ; at other times a certain indolence, or rather criminal 
laziness, to quit a warm, comfortable apartment, and appear 
in the open air ; or, at another time, a strong apprehension of 
incommoding their very nice persons in a crowd, and seeing 
the economy of a genteel dress ruffled and disordered by the 
indiscretion or rudeness of the vulgar. Very often it is a 
positive contempt for the ministers of Christ ; for what can be 
more common than to hear people expressing themselves in 
this manner : " Who is to preach to-day T — Such a one. — 
'•' Poh ! flat, flat ; dry like a chip. For my part, I'll not go 
hear him. I don't like his manner. There is neither elegance 
in his style, nor connection in his thoughts, nor solidity in his 
proofs, nor grace in his delivery. All he says is no more than 
a heap of pious thoughts thrown confusedly together. 

But supposing the reverend pastor, the representative of 
God, whom you are thus pleased to represent, still less adorned 
with the profane trappings of human erudition, yet it is the 
word of God he announces, and the word of God is attended 



328 



SERMON IX. 



with particular blessings, as you have heard Christ sav : 
" Happy are those that hear the word of God." By an in- 
version of reasoning we may also say, unhappy are they who 
do not hear the word of God : but I say, unhappy is the man 
whose proud heart and sensorious tongue withdraws him from 
hearing the word of God ; because the word of God, being in 
itself magnificent and sublime, stands not in need of human 
embellishments, although these may be applied. Censuring, 
therefore, a preacher is very unbecoming a Christian, who 
should listen with meekness to the minister of Christ, and 
here his words as the words of Christ. For what need is there, 
or why should fine language or the niceties of composition be 
used, in telling you that you are daily running on in the 
broad and spacious road which directly leads to eternal perdi- 
tion 1 What need is there of fine language or the niceties of 
composition, to tell you that a great many pagans would blush 
to be guilty of the shameful excesses of intemperance, and 
lust, and fraud, that a great many of you daily fall into 1 
What need of fine language or nice composition, to tell you 
that the heathens themselves treat their false gods, their 
deaf, dumb, and blind gods, their gods made by hands out of 
sticks and stones, with vastly more respect than many Chris- 
tians do the name, sufferings, and death of Jesus Christ ? 
They respect their gods, and honour them — we, the adorers of 
the one only and true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, 
who neither had a beginning nor will have an end, and is infi- 
nite in all his attributes — -we dishonour this God by our crimes ; 
we even attack him upon his throne by our imprecations or 
cursing ; we defy his vengeance, and challenge his power ! 
To tell you this is the high road to hell requires neither fine 
language nor nice composition : nor, in fine, to tell you that 
those nations among whom the light of faith shines not, are 
more honest in their dealings, less envious of their neighbour's 
prosperity, more humane and compassionate to their fellow- 
creatures' distress, than a great many of those who are reared 
in the Church of Christ from their infancy. 

The prophets of old when commissioned by God, and sent 
to the Jews, how did they act ? Plain men, sometimes chosen 
from among shepherds, unknowing in worldly, but rich in 
heavenly wisdom — they told the Jews they were sent by 
Almighty God to inform them of the ways of salvation. 
They reproached them with the various disorders of their 
lives, and threatened them with the judgments of God. They 
entreated and besought them to renounce their sinful ways 
and return unto the Lord; giving at the same time the 



ON THE WORD OF GOD. 



329 



strongest assurances of forgiveness. Is not this what the 
ministers of Christ daily do in the present dispensation 1 And 
although the form of their discourses should not be acceptable 
to the delicacy of this corrupted age, they certainly perform 
their own part, even perhaps with more fruit than by pursuing 
any over-nice methods, for this very plain but convincing 
reason, that truth never shines brighter than in the plainest 
dress. 

Do you, then, my brethren, I beseech you — as the prophets 
did the Jews of old — I beseech you, be mindful to act your 
own part, by attending assiduously on the word of God : 
otherwise you certainly will be brought to a very severe 
account for your neglect at the tribunal of Christ. Every 
sermon is a grace on which, perhaps, your conversion depends. 
Yet how many refuse those graces from the hand of God ! 
What is the consequence 1 That these sermons will be the very 
cause of their reprobation : for J esus Christ says in the Gospel 
of St. John, " He that receiveth not my word, hath one to judge 
him. The words which I have spoken shall judge him at the 
last day." Again, " He that is of God, heareth the words of 
God, therefore you hear not, because you are not of God." How 
much then have those to answer for who never hear the word 
of God ! Let them remember the dreadful words of the Holy 
Ghost, by the prophet Isaias, "My word shall not return 
empty unto me ; " that is to say, it will serve to show the 
unbounded mercies of God, by bringing forth fruits of conver- 
sion in this life, or to display his inflexible justice by eternal 
punishments in the next. 

But it is not enough to hear the word of God assiduously ; 
you must likewise hear it with proper dispositions of mind : 
for the word of God, as our Saviour says, is a seed which can- 
not fructify if it be not received in a fit and suitable soil. 
If, therefore, you wish to reap any benefit from this heavenly 
seed, you'; must prepare your hearts for receiving it by implor- 
ing the assistance of heaven, through the merits of Jesus 
Christ, and beseeching the Almighty to make it profitable to 
your souls ; by giving the word of God a due attention of the 
mind, and not suffering yourselves to be distracted or carried 
away by vain curiosity, or loose imaginations ; by putting on 
a firm resolution to carry the instructions you hear into exe- 
cution ; so as to make them the rule of your whole conduct. 
Instead of behaving in this manner, people generally come to 
a sermon, either to criticise the preacher, or to be seen in public, 
or to see. An hour now grows heavy on their hands, and to 
pass it away, to get rid of it, is desirable — " Come," say they, 

Y 



330 



SERMON IX. 



" come, let us go to the sermon ; let us see how the preacher 
will act. It is not easy to speak long to one point without 
deviation." With such dispositions, it is no way surprising 
the word of God should produce little fruit. They come to 
the temple of God, as to a temple of Satan, I mean a play- 
house, and with the same dispositions — they seek not instruc- 
tion but amusement. Is it surprising, then, that the word of 
God should produce little effect 1 Is not preaching, or an- 
nouncing the word to Christians of this disposition, sowing the 
most fruitful seed in the most barren soil, where it must neces- 
sarily decay, rot, and die 1 

Others there are who hear the word of God assiduously, 
with attention and piety • but afterwards neglect it so far as 
never to carry it into execution. The moment they quit the 
house of God all is over. The instructions they received are 
banished from their minds, or overwhelmed and drowned amidst 
the various cares and solicitudes of life. The seed with those 
falls among thorns, " and the thorns growing up together, 
choke and destroy it." " The preacher," they say, has acted 
his own part, it is his business to arraign publicly, and lash 
severely, the vices of the age ; to be talking always of heaven 
and hell ; but still he knows not the world. Every man must 
mind his business and affairs." "Why not ; but mind them in 
such a manner as not to hurt or prejudice your souls. Your 
salvation is your first — your chief business. It is the preacher's 
business to decry vice, and promote the empire of virtue and 
godliness ; but it is your business not only to hear his instruc- 
tions, but to put them in practice upon every occasion. For, 
"it is not they that hear the law," says St. Paul, " that shall 
be justified; but those that shall fulfil it." 

Wherefore, as often as you hear the preacher declare, that 
whoever lives in a state of sin, either by running into intem- 
perance or lust, cursing, swearing, blaspheming the name of 
the Lord, cheating or oppressing his neighbour, or overlook- 
ing the wants of the poor, are all excluded from the kingdom 
of God, and liable to eternal fire, look into yourselves and 
see if you are not guilty of any one of these crimes ; and if so, 
reform immediately and be converted to the Lord your God. 
This is receiving the word of God in a fruitful soil, which pro- 
duceth a hundred fold, and laying a most solid foundation for 
eternal happiness. For, as Christ, our Saviour, saith in the 
Gospel : " He that heareth my word, and fulfilleth it, shall 
be likened unto a wise man who built his house upon a rock : 
although the winds blew, and the storms raged, and torrents 
dashed with violence against it, yet as the house was built 



ON THE SERVICE OF GOD. 



331 



upon a firm foundation, it remained unmoved amidst the 
dreadful shock." Even so, if you, my brethren, not only hear, 
but fulfil the word of God, you shall be settled upon the rock, 
so as to be able to withstand all the assaults of your enemies — 
the corruption of the world, the frailty of the flesh, and all the 
malice and fury of hell. Then shall you say with the royal 
prophet, " Thy word, O Lord, like a bright flame, guides and 
directs my steps through the dark and intricate windings of 
this life : it enlightens the understanding, and gives the true 
and real wisdom to those of the meanest capacity. Like a 
fiery dart, it inflames the soul, and excites it powerfully to the 
practice of righteousness." 

Hitherto, we confess it with sorrow, we have been extremely 
neglectful of the word of God ; but knowing it now to be one 
of the most valuable blessings that heaven can bestow, and a 
most powerful means of salvation, we shall be more constant 
and assiduous in hearing, and more diligent in forming our 
lives thereupon ; to the end, that after bearing the " hundred 
fold " fruits of justice upon earth, we may at the end of life 
be admitted to contemplate the Divine Word face to face — 
Jesus Christ, the lively image and bright effulgence of the 
Divinity in his heavenly kingdom — for ever and ever. Amen. 



SERMON X. 

ON THE SERVICE OF GOD. 

<; Render therefore to God the things that are of God." 

Matt., c. xxii., v. 21. 

All the duty of man is reducible to three heads — what we 
owe to God, our neighbour, and ourselves. But the first is 
the greatest of all, not only as it has an immediate relation to 
the Divinity, but likewise as it comprehends the rest : for if 
we acquit ourselves properly of what is justly due to the 
Almighty God, we certainly must fulfil every obligation, so as 
to leave no material duty undischarged. Should you ask me, 
with the royal prophet, "Is he not our God, and if he be, can 
he stand in need of anything we possess 1 " and should you 
follow up that question by another — What, then, is it that 
appears due from mortals unto the Almighty? St. Paul 
answers, that, in general, what is due from mortals unto the 
Almighty, are honour, glory, and praise. 

By ten thousand titles do we owe this homage to our 
God, as our Creator and Redeemer, as our Hope and Reward, 
as our Protector, Conservator, and the kind Giver of all 



332 



SERMON X. 



good gifts; but to be more particular on this subject, we 
shall see in the tenth chapter of Deuteronomy what the 
Spirit of God declares the Almighty requires at our hands: 
" That we fear the Lord our God, and walk in his ways, and 
that we serve the Lord with all our hearts and with all 
our souls." Here we are commanded in the first place to fear 
him ; (this one sentence, I must observe is a summary of the 
whole Christian religion), this salutary fear of his power and 
of his justice will necessarily prompt us to forsake sin, and of 
course, " walk in his ways," the ways of grace and virtue. 
Having forsaken sin and entered the ways of grace and virtue, 
it is moreover necessary " that we serve the Lord our God 
with all our hearts;" that all the powers, faculties, and sense of 
our bodies, be directed to the honour, glory, and praise of our 
great and good God, and that they be accompanied by all the 
affections, propensities, and desires of our souls. This is the 
duty clearly marked out for us by the Holy Ghost in the 
foregoing sentence from the book of Deuteronomy ; and it is 
precisely this duty which, in after ages, God himself speaking 
to sinners upon earth, to the Scribes and Pharisees, laid down 
for his faithful servants : " Render therefore to God the things 
that are of God " 

The great end and universal destination of man is to fulfil 
this duty. For this purpose, and for this alone, has man been 
created, and introduced into this world. But amidst the 
general war maintained between principle and action, duty 
and conduct, very few there are who square their lives by this 
great and universal rule. We all admit in speculation — but 
speculation is a dry and barren soil, where brambles and briars, 
not virtues, vegetate — in speculation we admit that Almighty 
God is indisputably the great Master of all ; if so, I require to 
know with the royal prophet, "where is the honour that is due 
to him ; where the deference that should be paid unto his 
supreme laws'?" If the Almighty be the great Master of all, 
why do we not prove ourselves his true and obsequious 
servants, by fulfilling the duties of his service 1 The service 
of God is, unhappily, a term without a meaning ; for we all 
possess it, and few or none fulfil it. The service of God is still 
that term which of all others carries the most solid, the mosb 
profound, the most important meaning ; a term that involves 
all the interests that are or should be dear to mankind ; a term 
which the Church of God calls on me this day to explain to 
you, according to the exposition of the Holy Ghost, in the 
double capacity in which you are required to serve the 
Almighty God ; namely, " with all your hearts, and with all 



ON THE SERVICE OF GOD. 



333 



your souls." In obedience, therefore, to her commands, you 
will attend me carefully in the consideration, first, of the 
motives which should induce us to serve Almighty God ; and 
secondly, the manner in which he requires to be served by us. 

First. — Among the many motives for serving the Lord 
which press upon the mind, the most prominent is his supreme 
power and dominion. Sovereign Master of all things by crea- 
tion, conservation, and ultimate destination, the Lord has an 
undoubted right to command ; and what he commands every 
creature is visibly obliged to fulfil. Now the Almighty God 
commands us to serve him, as appears from many places in holy 
writ, in particular from the tenth chapter of Deuteronomy, 
where he says, " Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve 
him alone." Nothing can be more reasonable than to serve 
the Almighty ; for if subjection be due to power in general, as 
it really is, how much more is it due to the supreme, inde- 
pendent, uncontrollable power of a God 1 ? As supreme Master 
of all things, the Almighty could forcibly have tied us down to 
a constant compliance with his holy will, as may be easily in- 
ferred from the brute and insensible part of the creation. For 
is there any one thing which falls within our knowledge or 
observation that does not continually fulfil the purposes for 
which it was created 1 That glorious orb of light, the sun, 
ceases not, and will not cease till time shall be no more, to 
enlighten the planets that roll around him, according to the 
different phase they present to his rays, thus producing with 
us the alternate changes of days, and nights, and seasons, 
summer heats and winter colds ; and thus for near six thou- 
sand years has that creature been fulfilling, exactly and with- 
out deviation, the great end for which he was made. In like 
manner the moon and stars perform for us the same kind 
ofiices by night which the sun does by day, and thus fulfil 
one great end of their creation. 

View well the earth whereon you stand — in winter its 
vegetating powers are suspended ; in spring they open and 
push forth various fruits for the support of man and all the 
animals of the land : in summer those fruits are matured, and 
stored in autumn. Thus, ever faithful to the great hand that 
made it, and ever regular in fulfilling the end for which it was 
made, this deaf, and dumb, and blind creature, earth, will 
always be a standing monument of reproach to man, endowed 
with reason and noble faculties, because these faculties and 
that reason, instead of being devoted and employed in the 
great end for which they were bestowed — the service of God, 
are daily and almost constantly busied in offering him some 



334 



SERMON X. 



indignity or insult. Had Almighty God been pleased to exert 
his supreme power and dominion over us, it is unquestionable 
he could have subjected us, like the brute ox of the field, to an 
uniform obedience to his holy laws. But he has not thought 
proper to do so. He has been pleased in creating to endow us 
with free will ; and to direct that free will to avoid evil and 
pursue good ; he has also been pleased to confer reason or 
understanding upon man, in order that he might be served 
and obeyed by man as a free agent, possessed of liberty to 
offer or withhold the homage we owe him by all the claims of 
creation and redemption. !N"ow, nothing can reflect more 
honour upon the Divinity than that tribute of adoration and 
homage, which, being in our power to withhold, we always pay 
from our own free will and election. Subjection of any kind 
would show the power and dominion of God over all his 
creatures ; but free and unconstrained adoration proclaims 
aloud not only his greatness but his goodness. By the one the 
Almighty would certainly appear the first Principle and great 
Master of all things ; but by the other he not only appears, 
but is willingly acknowledged in that character. However, 
this privilege of liberty, or free agency, that man alone is 
endowed with among all the creatures that we know of under 
the suu, does not by any means take away or lessen the 
obligation he lies under of serving the Almighty as supreme 
Lord of all things. ~No : the Almighty still tells him aloud : 
" Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and him alone shalt 
thou serve." It is true he does not enforce this command 
with violence, compulsion, or irresistible force ; but he does it 
in a manner suitable to our free will and the constitution of 
all free agents — by proposing eternal rewards and eternal 
punishments ; eternal rewards for those who comply, and 
eternal punishments for those who refuse obedience to that 
command of adoring and serving the Lord our God. 

The Lord our God is not only the great Master of all, but 
ohe greatest of all masters. St. John proclaims him in Revela- 
tions, " The King of kings and Lord of lords," and the Holy 
Ghost declares : " It is by him that kings and princes reign. " 
So that he in reality is the fruitful source from whence all 
power and authority derive. All that is grand or beautiful 
in nature, wonderful or stupendous in magnitude, correct or 
perfect by harmony or order ■ all that pleases, that delights, 
that fills the eye or captivates the heart, all, I say, are but as 
sparks emanating from the Divinity. From him alone they 
flow, as being the fountain and source of all that is great or 
grand, sublime or beautiful. And in this character has not 



ON THE SERVICE OF GOD. 



335 



the Lord an undoubted right to our services ] There is a 
certain noble spirit of rectitude in man which readily submits 
to true and unfeigned greatness. But where is this true and 
unfeigned greatness to be found] Nowhere but in the 
Divinity. All the rest is but a vain show of some faint and 
borrowed shades of greatness. All the rest is downright 
emptiness, a mere nothing. Why then, my brethren, is it not 
to the great and omnipotent God that we devote our hearts and 
services 1 Is he defective in any title to make him deserving 
both of the one and the other ] As our Creator, he called us 
into existence and gave us a being, not of beasts, but of the 
human kind : as our Father, he upholds and provides for that 
being, by settling and fixing us in the world, and supplying 
all our necessary wants ; and, as our God, he holds within our 
view, and exhibits within our reach, immortal life, immortal 
joys, immortal glory for ever and ever in the kingdom of 
heaven. If these are not claims on you to serve the Lord, 
and obey his holy laws, say, I beseech you, what are] He 
does more — when you forsook the Lord by sin, he called on 
you, by his ministers, and tenderly invited you to return to 
him by repentance, promising "were your sins as red as scarlet 
he would make them as white as wool : " and in doing so, he 
has done a greater act than the creation of the world. Say, 
then, where is he defective in every claim to your homage and 
to your service 1 ? Say, then, who is it or what is it has so good 
a right to the service of your heart 1 ? Rather, let me ask, is 
there anything to be found besides God alone, worthy the 
heart and the affections of man 1 To engage in the service of 
renowned and distinguished princes is a favourite pursuit of 
people in this world ; to serve under great and distinguished 
warriors, mighty men of fame, is the highest ambition of noble 
and generous souls — but what is all the greatness of the world 
compared to the greatness of God 1 " Are not all the nations 
upon earth as if they were not in his sight % n says the royal 
prophet. Why, then, do we not declare for the service of God, 
if greatness be a motive, as it really is 1 But Almighty God 
has other claims on our service — he is not only the greatest 
master we can serve, but undoubtedly the best of all masters. 

If mankind were always attentive and obedient to the 
dictates of reason, there would be no necessity to lay before 
them any incitement to the service of God. The dictates of 
reason must clearly show that every creature should live in a 
continual subjection to the all-powerful hand which gave it 
being, and preserves its existence. But as we are all born wit!) 
various irregular passions, which always counteract and very 



336 



SERMON X. 



frequently darken the light of reason, so as to lead us astray 
from the paths of truth and righteousness, it became necessary 
to propose unto man such inducements to virtue as must 
counterbalance his natural depravity and weakness. 

Now, Almighty God has effectually set up this counterbalance, 
by proposing rewards to all those that would faithfully serve 
him ; and those rewards are of such a nature as must com- 
mand the attention of the most inconsiderate minds, and fix 
the affections of the most worldly hearts. Of these rewards 
some are confined to this life, others to the life to come. 
Respecting this life what the Almighty promises his true and 
faithful servants, is, not exemption from pain and suffering, 
from sickness, woes, or wants, nor from oppression or injustice, 
nor violent and repeated attacks from the great enemy of 
mankind, but inward peace and tranquillity of mind, as 
appears from what Jesus Christ lays down in the Gospel : 
" Take my yoke upon you, and you shall find rest unto your 
souls." This peace of mind is undoubtedly the greatest 
blessing we can enjoy in this life, as it maintains the 
soul in a constant composure under the heaviest afflic- 
tions, and banishes those fears and anxieties which frequently 
startle and terrify the hardest sinners, even amidst their 
pleasures, by laying before them the dreadful picture of 
their sins, and the more dreadful punishments that must 
ensue. This was the great gift that Jesus Christ conferred 
on his apostles after his resurrection, whereby they were 
enabled to bear with tranquillity, and even sustain with 
pleasure, all the persecutions and sufferings that hell could 
vomit forth. " Peace be with you," sweet, delectable, happy 
peace ! a blessing the more valuable as it is not to be pur- 
chased by anything this world can bestow ; a blessing 
frequently unknown to the monarch upon the throne, to the 
conqueror amidst his trophies, to the rich man amidst his 
opulence, to the man of pleasure amidst the most refined and 
delicious enjoyments — a blessing, in fine, so grand, so inestima- 
ble, that to obtain it no one but would exchange for it the 
most valuable possessions of life. 

This blessing, so valuable in itself, this peace which fills the 
heart of man upon earth, and makes him anticipate the con- 
solations of the blessed in heaven, the unerring word of God 
promises to all those who love and serve the Lord with fidelity. 
" The kingdom of God," says St. Paul, " is peace and joy in 
the Holy Ghost." Sinners drunk with guilty joys may 
pretend to inward peace and tranquillity of mind, but believe 
them not. Sooner will the lamb and the lion, the wolf and the 



ON THE SERVICE OF GOD. 



337 



sheep associate, than the peace I speak of and guilt reside 
together. The Spirit of truth declares, that tranquillity of 
mind is a weak and groundless pretension with sinners ; 
although they may frequently discourse of peace and spiritual 
quiet, " yet it is far from them, as it resides in the hearts of 
the just and righteous alone." Of this inward peace and 
tranquillity, this spiritual comfort and consolation, was the 
royal prophet, truly sensible when he cried out, that " one 
day spent in the service of the Lord was preferable to a thou- 
sand years." In other words, that all the pleasures this world 
could afford for a thousand years, were not comparable to the 
pure and holy joys which the peace of Jesus Christ conveys in 
one day to the souls of the just. Already have I hinted to 
you whence this inward peace and tranquillity proceed. They 
proceed from the influence of divine grace ; from the unction 
of the Holy Ghost ; from an inward consciousness of being in 
favour with God, and consequently entitled to the joys and 
glory of the kingdom of heaven. This sweet joy and pure 
delight which, the royal prophet says, Almighty God imparts 
to those who truly serve him, is further supported hj St. Paul : 
" The Spirit (of God) giveth testimony unto our spirit (or 
soul) that we are the children of God." However, you are to 
observe, this consciousness of being in favour with God can 
never amount to an absolute certainty. No : this were the 
height of presumption, because " no man knows whether he be 
worthy of love or hatred" in the eyes of God, according to the 
expression of St. Paul. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied but 
that this inward testimony of the Spirit is so strong as to 
banish all these dreadful apprehensions which torment sinners 
continually, and hinder them from stating the inexpressible 
pleasure of being united unto God. Nothing can be more 
pleasing to the mind, or contribute more to the real happiness 
of man, than a situation in which he is conscious of being in 
favour with Almighty God. This happiness is the certain 
consequence of serving God, the great and inestimable reward 
he confers even in this life on all those who love and serve 
him. The other rewards concern the life to come, and consist 
in the joys and glory of the kingdom of heaven. 

Here let me invite you to raise your thoughts to sublimer 
views than what this world affords, in order to conceive the 
unbounded goodness of Almighty God. What is it he pro- 
mises all those who serve him and obey his laws 1 "O 
heavens, be ye amazed and astonished at the sound !" What 
doth he promise 1 To seat them upon thrones, and make them 
reign eternally with himself in his heavenly kingdom. Weigh 



338 



SERMON X 



well within yourselves the extent of this bounty and clemency. 
Almighty God, as supreme Master of all things, had an 
undoubted right to our services without promising the least 
reward. For he that plants the vineyard, that tills or culti- 
vates the field, has an unquestionable right to the fruit thereof; 
yet the Lord God was too generous and good to require our 
services on the score of right, and was graciously pleased to 
promise eternal happiness as a reward for all who truly serve 
him. This eternal happiness has been promised through 
Christ our Lord. In him and through him our services are 
crowned with eternal rewards ; not only our services in general, 
but every action in particular, and even our very desires and 
affections. It is impossible to conceive anything equal to this 
bounty of Almighty God ; but incomprehensible it is indeed, 
that this great bounty and wonderful goodness of the Lord 
makes little or no impression on the heart of man ! Almighty 
God has the strongest titles imaginable to our services — his 
power, dominion, inconceivable bounty and goodness ; and still 
we refuse to serve him upon any title whatsoever. 

After Joshua had introduced the Israelites into the Holy 
Land, he assembled them together, and recounted before them 
in a few words the many extraordinary blessings they had 
received from the Almighty hand of God. He reminded them 
of the many signal miracles that had been wrought in 
their favour on their departure from Egypt, their crossing 
the Red Sea, and during the time of their wandering in the 
desert; then he concludes with these remarkable words — 
" Israelites ! do you now yourselves choose the master 
you are henceforward to serve and obey ;" either the great 
God that has been so bountiful to you, or the gods of 
nations from whom you have received nothing, and have 
nothing to receive. May I not now, with a great deal 
of justice, make you the same proposal, and say, look all 
around you and see what master you have the best right to 
serve and obey 1 If you can find any being equal to the 
Almighty God, in power, greatness, or goodness, dispose of 
your services as you think proper — but if you cannot, why do 
you refuse paying to the Lord your God the great debt you 
owe him, of faithfully serving him for evermore 1 Is he not 
worthy your services 1 . Has he not every claim on your 
services that can constitute a title % As Sovereign, Benefactor, 
Master, Lord, and Father, we owe him not only our services 
but our very lives. Elsewhere what can be found but in- 
gratitude, infidelity, continual disappointment, and in the 
end misery. I appeal to your own experience, my brethren, 



ON THE SERVICE OF GOB. 



339 



for the justice of this remark. For many years have you been 
serving the world — slaves to the world ; for what purpose 1 
Where are now the fruits of all your labours 1 Some perhaps 
may boast of having acquired large fortunes ; but how have 
you acquired them 1 Perhaps by wading through toils, and 
difficulties, and dangers, or overleaping the bounds of justice, 
and setting conscience adrift. A while hence shall Jesus 
Christ ask you those questions, and you must answer him. 
And a while hence, say, if you can, what will become of these 
fortunes 1 say what will become of yourselves 1 Your fortunes 
shall pass into other hands, your bodies into dust and ashes 
from whence they came, and your immortal souls where the 
rigorous justice of God shall appoint. This true and awful 
prospect is what this world alone affords for all our services. 
Let us then give them another bent, where disappointments, 
anguish, or deception are unknown : let us turn at length and 
serve Almighty God, who can, who will, who has promised to 
make us eternally happy, if we but faithfully serve him here 
on earth. To discharge your duty on this subject effectually, 
so as to make you entitled to the promises of Almighty God, 
it is necessary you should know the nature of the services he 
requires at your hands, which will engage our consideration in 
the second part of this discourse. 

Second — When Joshua, the great leader of Israel, and 
legislator after Moses, was about to depart from this world, he 
convoked his people, and among the instructions he gave, as 
laid down in the twenty-fourth chapter of his book, he especially 
enjoins them by a particular inspiration of the Holy Ghost : 
" Do you fear the Lord, and serve him with a perfect and a 
most sincere heart." Now serving the Lord with a perfect 
and most sincere heart, implies two things — that we serve him 
with fidelity and constancy. Serving God with fidelity is 
serving God alone • and that him alone we are obliged to serve 
appears from the Gospel, where Jesus Christ says, "Thou 
shalt adore the Lord thy God, and him alone shalt thou 
serve." In the Gospel likewise our blessed Saviour further 
declares, that " no man can serve two masters," because he 
must necessarily hate and despise one or the other of the 
two : as the obedience the one requires is utterly inconsistent 
with the submission due to the other. Almighty God, 
therefore, having an undoubted and unalienable right to our 
services, cannot endure the least division to bs made of our 
hearts. As we owe all we are and all we possess, as well as all 
we expect or hope for to the unbounded goodness of God, he 
requires we should devote ourselves entirely to his service. 



340 



SERMON X. 



To do otherwise is robbing him of that part of his glory he is 
most jealous of — the sacrifice of our hearts ; as the Holy 
Ghost says, " It is committing a spiritual and sacrilegious 
rapine, than which nothing can be more abominable in the 
eyes of the Lord." Nevertheless, my brethren, is not this 
infidelity in the service of the Lord, the very crime you are 
most commonly guilty of 1 Does it not appear by your con- 
duct that you would willingly serve God and the world at one 
and the same time 1 I appeal to facts. Almighty God calls 
on you to restrain your eyes, those inlets of vice to the soul, 
and your other senses, by the laws of self-denial — and yet play- 
houses, public shows, and places of public amusement, as they 
are erroneously called, are constantly filled with Christians, 
who thus pamper and nourish those corrupt senses which we 
are bound to keep under, and which, instead of being mastered, 
master us, and gradually usurp the total empire of the heart, 
which we are bound to give to God alone. You do not intend 
or wish to forsake the Lord by complying with some of the 
customs of the world — where those customs are innocent, (yet 
which of them are innocent 1) you may be excusable : but by 
exposing yourself to temptation, you divide your heart be- 
tween God and the world ; and by adopting the false maxims, 
the false notions, the sinful ways and corrupt practices of the 
world, you necessarily forsake the Lord your God, because 
" no man can serve two masters." 

To descend more to particulars, let us consider how people 
acquit themselves of the fidelity they owe to the service of 
God. The citizen, complying with the false maxims of the 
world, readily swallows the oaths of office, which, conveying 
but a momentary vibration to the mind, are readily forgotten 
and as readily infringed and violated. But you will say they 
are only oaths of office, mere matters of course, no body keeps 
them. Will that excuse you before Jesus Christ 1 The 
merchant in invoicing or outvoicing or valuing his goods, 
swears not always to strict truth ; or what is equally criminal, 
complying with the usual mode of doing business, he counte- 
nances by his silence the false reports made by his captains or 
masters of vessels at the custom-house, respecting the quantum 
of goods his vessel contains, to which the captain or master 
must swear, when perhaps the merchant or owner shall at the 
very same time have concealed goods on board, for the pur- 
pose of smuggling, or blinding by bribes, the officers from doing 
their duty. The laws of God, in those cases, and his holy ser- 
vice are put aside. But to proceed — men in business or in a 
trading line, who pretend to be Christians, and to serve 



ON THE SERVICE OF GOD. 



341 



Almighty God in that character, very seldom fail to follow the 
wicked ways of life, in grasping at every advantage that 
interest presents to view, as often as occasion offers ; and to 
justify by their cleverness what the Lord God shall judge and 
condemn them for on the great day of reckoning. So many 
and various are the instances wherein the service of God is set 
aside in this case, that every trader must see on reflection, 
where and how far this remark attaches particularly to himself. 
It is a general custom, and you all know it, that whenever and 
wherever a number of decent people meet and assemble to 
enjoy themselves, nothing is more usual, nothing even more 
fashionable, than to introduce such subjects as must necessarily 
offend and shock every modest ear. In such cases as these, 
how is a Christian to conduct himself 1 Let him recollect the 
service he owes to God, and obedience to his holy laws : let him 
declare publicly for God and his holy laws : let him rise up 
boldly and arraign the corruption of the age ; but discretion in 
such conduct must be a leading feature — nothing short of 
necessity can justify any conduct whereby charity may be 
violated, friendly intercourse dissolved, or bitterness created. 
But where prudence will not allow a broad and open repro- 
bation of improper conduct, silence, attended by a certain 
severity of countenance, especially in the company of men of 
superior rank, will overawe such unchristian proceedings. 

Persons who lay great claim to Christianity, and pretend to 
serve the Lord, instead of pursuing the line 1 have marked out, 
generally chime in with their company, countenance disorder, 
blast virtue by immorality, and gently glide along the stream 
which is rolling them all headlong to the flaming gulf below. 
It may be asked, is a man, under such circumstances as I have 
mentioned, to offend his company, friends, or distinguished 
characters in his own house 1 Surely, if necessary, rather than 
offend Almighty God. What claim has that company on you, 
that; you should insult the majesty of God, by conforming to 
their wicked ways] — that you should damn your own soul, 
from a false principle of fashionable agreement to sin ? Was 
it that company, those friends, these distinguished characters 
that called you forth from nothing, and gave you existence, a 
tongue to praise, and power to please, not affront, the great 
Author of your being 1 Was it that company that redeemed 
you from the tyranny of Satan, the slavery of original sin, and 
the eternal punishments due to your personal sins 1 Is it, in a 
word, that company that can make you eternally happy, or eter- 
nally miserable in the life to come 1 No, no. If nob, why do 
you relinquish upon such occasions the fidelity you owe to the 



342 



SERMON X. 



service of God at all times and upon all occasions 1 Why 
hear the voice of man before the voice of God 1 Why, O why 
will you gratify the passions of men to the destruction of your 
own immortal souls 1 Yet you do so ; you frequently do so : 
but mark the consequence — to be cast out an unworthy 
servant into exterior darkness, " where there shall be weeping 
and gnashing of teeth ; where the sun never rises, nor any 
glimpse is ever seen of the glory of heaven." St. Paul was 
well convinced of the dangers attending an acquaintance to 
the ways of life when he said, " Were I to please men I should 
no longer be a servant of Christ,"- — whence, it is plain, if you 
intend to serve the Almighty God, you must relinquish the 
wrong opinions of men, forsake their sinful practices, and 
follow a course different from that which they generally follow. 
The fidelity we owe Almighty God requires that we never 
transgress any essential point of his law for any consideration 
whatsoever ; but the prevailing conduct among Christians in 
our days shows that this is a theoretical not a practical prin- 
ciple — and I form that conclusion from the few there are who 
pay any attention thereunto. Occasion offers, opportunity 
presents itself of making a good hit in the world, but the laws 
of God forbid the execution — how does man behave, I speak 
of men in general, even those who pretend to serve the Lord 1 
Why, cunning reason starts up the idea, that, perhaps, the 
same opportunity again may not occur of raising one's family, 
removing distress, banishing want : this reasoning becomes 
conclusive — conscience must go asleep — the morality of the 
Gospel must be overleaped, and the occasion embraced ; 
although to compass the end it may be necessary to pursue 
every iniquitous step that passion and the inordinate love of 
the world can suggest. But is this serving the Almighty God, 
and serving him w T ith the fidelity he requires 1 Is it not 
rather serving Mammon ; that is, the god of interest, the god 
of riches, the god of this world? And yet Jesus Christ 
assures us, that no man can serve God and mammon ; " so that 
if you adhere to the one you must necessarily renounce the 
other. But these are maxims of the world. They may be so — 
but I say, and I speak on the part of God, that no laws, no 
maxims of the world, should ever induce a Christian to deviate 
from the laws and maxims of Christ, because it is not by the 
laws and maxims of the world we are to be judged, but by 
the laws and maxims of Jesus Christ, as laid down in the 
Gospel. If, therefore, we do forget these laws or maxims of 
Christ, either in our conversation or conduct, in our 
dress or public appearance, we certainly prove ourselves 



ON THE SERVICE OF GOD. 



343 



unfaithful servants, and, consequently, can have no share in 
Christ or his promises. For to entitle us to the promises of 
Christ, we must serve him with fidelity and also with con- 
stancy. 

The Holy Ghost, speaking by the mouth of the wise man 
(Eccl. 5), directs, " Do you stand firm in the ways of the 
Lord ; " because, says Jesus Christ in the Gospel, " He that 
persevereth to the end shall be saved." If, therefore, you 
sincerely intend to secure your eternal happiness, (and what 
object should be so dear to you 1) you must take care to walk 
constantly in the ways of heaven. For the Almighty God is 
too good and merciful to abandon at the last hour, on which 
our salvation depends, those who had served him faithfully 
during the foregoing part of their lives. These are not my 
promises, but those of the Spirit of God, who speaks in the 
Revelations : " Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give 
thee the crown of life." This steadiness, this constancy in the 
ways of God, is the true character of all those that are 
destined for eternal happiness. But where is this steadiness 
to be found 1 What more do the very best of you than serve 
Almighty God as it were by starts and fits 1 On the return 
of a great festival you all take some pains (I sivppose this, 
because you all should take pains), to be reconciled with 
the Almighty God : and you continue the exercises of piety 
and religion for three or four weeks, perhaps not so many days, 
at the end of which time you never fail to fall back to your 
usual courses of life. But why this inconstancy, these con- 
tinual changes, vicissitudes, and variations 1 Is Almighty 
God more deserving of your services at one time than at 
another 1 ? Do not the same motives always subsist, which 
influenced you to serve God at one particular season of the 
year % Is he not at all times our God and our Redeemer, 
our Master and Protector, the Author of our being and the only 
Source of our happiness 1 If, therefore, we think it an indis- 
pensable obligation at one time to love him, to worship, to 
serve him "in spirit and truth," according to St. Paul, why 
are we not always governed by the same principles 1 Remem- 
ber what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ says in the 
Gospel j " He that once put his hand to the plough and after- 
wards looks back, is not fit for the kingdom of heaven." 
This looking back, after putting our hand to the plough, or 
returning to sin after entering the way of virtue, is unhappily 
the case with each of ourselves in particular. Often have we 
returned to the Lord, often promised to continue for ever in 
his service : but these promises we have as often violated. 



344 



SEKMON X. 



"We abandoned his service to serve our vanity, our interest, our 
passions. Did we but consider the indignity of such conduct, 
as well as the woful consequences that follow, we should cer- 
tainly never be guilty of it. The indignity constitutes a crime 
of high insult to the majesty of the Lord ; and the consequence 
of such crime is impenitence, reprobation, and final perdition. 
This is the true meaning of what the Apostle St. Jude says, 
cautioning the faithful by a similitude : " Take care you become 
not like these wandering stars which are never fixed or regular 
in their motions, but evermore roving up and down the heavens ; 
for they are reserved for the most horrid darkness during the 
whole length of eternity." 

Treating on this subject, the most intelligent masters of a 
spiritual life assure us, that, in some measure, there are 
greater hopes of the salvation of the greatest sinners, than of 
these wavering and unsettled Christians : for the sinner may 
one time or other return unto the Lord, and continue after- 
wards in favour with him to the end of life ; whereas these 
inconstant men, who are one day with God and another day 
against him, will certainly be taken out of this world in one 
of these changes, whilst they are in disgrace with God, and 
consequently liable to all the dire effects of his wrath and in- 
dignation. A misfortune of this kind, dreadful as it is, we 
have each of us deserved in particular to undergo for our in- 
constancy in the ways of the Lord. But he hath been pleased 
by an excess of goodness to spare us, and to offer us this 
day the means of repentance. This consideration alone should 
overwhelm us with love and gratitude, and bind us down ever- 
more to his service. Jesus Christ asks : " What will it avail 
us to gain the whole world, if we lose our souls ? " I leave you 
to answer that question — but I say the only means of saving 
our immortal souls, our precious souls, purchased by the suf- 
ferings of a God, are to serve the Lord : to serve him with 
fidelity and constancy. Let us, therefore, this day arm our- 
selves with a strong and inviolable resolution never to depart 
from the services of the Lord for any consideration or upon 
any motives whatsoever. Reject every temptation held out- 
by the world. The world shall pass away and all things there- 
in ; and let them pass and perish sooner than we forsake the 
service of God ; sooner than we plunge ourselves into the 
caverns of eternal night and sorrow. With regard to our- 
selves, what will the whole world be in a few years, or in a 
few months, perhaps in a few days 1 Of its empty shows, its 
vain comforts, not so much then as a shadow will remain. 
And if so, shall we risk immortality, joy, happiness, and our 



ON CHARITY. 



345 



God, for all the world offers us connected with sin? Shall 
we any longer, by our infidelities and inconsistency, draw down 
the full weight of the avenging hand of God, which his tender 
mercy withholds 1 Ah ! no : but let us profess ourselves 
this day true servants of the Lord, and adhere constantly to 
him unto the end of our lives. Then shall we hear from the 
mouth of our Redeemer, on the last day, these agreeable 
words : " Come, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the 
joy of the Lord. Because thou hast been faithful in small 
things, I will now place thee over many things." Evermore 
shall we share in all the joys and glory of God. Nevermore 
shall the tear of woe gush out, nor pain nor sorrow afflict 
Evermore shall we be, not supplicating like subjects, but 
seated as kings on thrones, with crowns of glory in the kingdom 
of heaven. Amen, sweet J esus ! — -Amen. 



SERMON XI. 

ON CHARITY. 

" Communicating alms to the Saints in their necessities." 

Rom., c. xii., v. 13. 

Op all the virtues the Christian religion prescribes there is not 
any one the practice of which ought to be more common and 
more familiar to us than that of charity or alms-giving ; not 
only on account of the excellency of this virtue, which is so 
closely connected with the love of God, wherein the plenitude 
of the whole law consists, as St. Paul declares that it cannot 
subsist without it ; but likewise on account of the many and 
inestimable advantages which we are assured in holy writ are 
annexed to, and inseparable from, the proper and judicious 
distribution of charity. In one place it appears that this 
divine virtue has the force of appeasing the anger of God, and 
rendering him propitious unto us. In another, that charity 
is capable of drawing down the greatest blessings even in this 
life. Elsewhere we are tolcl by Jesus Christ himself, that 
" Even a glass of water given in his name shall not want its 
reward ; " and that " if we deal generously with others for his 
sake, the same will be returned in great, large, and plentiful 
measures." These are promises of rewards, but threats are also 
held out against those who do not practise the works of charity, 
as is fully laid down in the Gospel of St. Luke, where the un- 
faithful steward, puffed up and elated by his prosperity, 
thought himself perfectly safe whilst acting contrary to all the 
laws of justice, in squandering away his master's substance. 

z 



346 



SEKJiOIS' XI. 



But the master returning, and the misconduct being notorious, 
the steward is brought to account, and sentence immediately 
pronounced — " Thou shalt be no longer steward." 

In this parable we have a striking figure of the strict 
account we shall be brought to at the tribunal of Christ, the 
supreme and just Judge of the living and the dead, for our 
administration in this life ; that is, for the use we make of the 
substance Divine Providence is pleased to commit into our 
hands. At present we are very apt to think we can use it as 
we please, and that possession confers a right which no laws 
can circumscribe. Almighty God entertains quite different 
notions, and will make us one day sensible, we were no more 
than stewards or under-agents to Providence in the adminis- 
tration of the property committed to our care. So that if we 
fail to fulfil the duties of that character by a mismanagement 
of the means we are possessed of, we must be punished 
accordingly. 

It is therefore highly incumbent on each of you in particular 
to reflect seriously on this subject, and lay your lives under 
the strictest regulations, by following in every point the 
direction of our Saviour in the Gospel : " Make friends unto 
yourselves of the mammon of iniquity, who (when you fail) 
may receive you into the seats of everlasting bliss." Notwith- 
standing these strong and unquestionable assurances of the 
excellence as well as the many blessings that flow from the 
exercise of charity, very many there are who seem to be no way 
solicitous about it. Heaven forbid I should mean by this 
observation to overlook the charitable disposition of many 
Christians, who have always their hearts open and their hands 
stretched forth for the relief of the necessitous and poor. 
But yet it cannot but be observed that too many neglect the 
practice of alms-giving, or confine their charity within too 
narrow bounds. This half performance of an essential duty, 
as well as the neglect of it, calls loudly on the ministers of the 
Church of God for their best exertions in laying before the 
faithful the magnitude of their obligations on this head. In 
making this general remark I feel how much I am bound by 
my duty to you, myself, and my God, to examine this heaven- 
born virtue, charity, and to enforce the practice of it on the 
grounds of duty and benefit. All duties draw benefits or 
rewards in their train ; but as no virtue is more sublime 
than the practice of charity, so none draws after it greater 
blessings upon mortals. We shall see this in detail by 
examining with me two distinct propositions wherein you all 
are most materially concerned : — first, the obligation you 



OX CHARITY. 



347 



lie under of practising charity — secondly, the manner of 
discharging, and the blessings arising from the discharge of 
this obligation. 

First. — The obligation of charity, I mean that branch of it 
which consists in affording relief to your poor and infirm 
brethren — is grounded on the present dispensation of Divine 
Providence, and a positive command of the Almighty. Who- 
ever considers the various conditions in this world, must see 
that some are in the greatest poverty and want, whilst others 
abound not only with the necessaries and conveniences of life, 
but even with its comforts and superfluities. Is it then to 
be imagined that the Almighty Father of all could have 
ordained so great a distinction and inequality among men, 
by favouring a few and overlooking the wants of the rest 1 
No : this were highly inconsistent with the wisdom and good- 
ness of God, the first fruitful Cause and universal Parent of 
all things ; whose bounty is so great as to provide plentifully 
in due time for the very birds of the air, and the beasts of 
the field. All men by nature are the same ; subject to the 
same infirmities, liable to the same wants. Of all the animals 
of the creation, man appears in his primeval state to be the 
most miserable, the most abject, and the most forlorn. 
Equally unable to help himself as to call for help, he seems 
the outcast of the creation. Other creatures come into 
life with covering, and powers to help themselves, but man 
comes naked, poor, and helpless ; and immediately proclaims 
his miseries by his cries. The poor become victims to poverty 
and want, disease and death ; whilst their more favoured fel- 
low-creature riots in all the enjoyment of unqualified luxury. 
Here the poor man, full of sores, calls at the proud man's 
gate, but he calls in vain — he does not call in vain ; the dogs 
come and lick his sores. There the Christian brute turns his 
back on human woes. Here we see the innocent little one, 
who never knew a crime, shivering and pining ; there the 
young heir who never knew a want. Where, then, are the 
means to smoothen these evils ; where the necessary funds for 
maintaining this seemingly abandoned part of the creation 1 
In the hands of the rich and wealthy men of the world. By 
this disposition the infinite wisdom of God shines forth in the 
most conspicuous manner ; for although he could have sup- 
plied the wants of the poor by himself without the intervention 
of any other, yet he chose to lay this obligation upon the rich, 
in order to unite the different orders of men in the closest 
ties, and make the very difference of their conditions instru- 
mental to their eternal happiness ; sanctifying the poor by 



348 



SERMON XI. 



patience and suffering, and the rich by their benevolence and 
charity to the poor. 

If, then, the poor are forced, from the misery entailed upon 
their state, to cry out for relief unto the rich, these are no less 
obliged to hear the cries and relieve the necessities of the poor ; 
by which it appears that the rich man is no less made for the 
poor, than the poor man for the rich, according to the beauti- 
ful remark of St. Augustine, however distant and opposite 
these two characters may appear. The great chain which 
unites all mankind in one family, is principally displayed in 
the mutual exchange of good offices among men ; the poor in 
supplying the comforts of the rich, the rich by charity soften- 
ing the evils of the poor. It is the poor man by his toils that 
supplies the profusion of the rich man's table, as well as the 
splendour of his equipage. The rich in return is bound by 
charity to soften the evils of his poor brother, and to look to 
him chiefly when oppressed by poverty, infirmity, nakedness, 
or want. The providence of God and the wisdom of his ways 
are seen by this dispensation, whereby the use, not the abuse, 
are shown to men, of poverty to the poor, and riches to the 
rich. 

In various instances the exercise of this virtue is seen and 
admired in our land : no country perhaps affords instances of 
charities better applied, and among these, that foundation in 
the capital, the Lying-in Hospital, holds a distinguished rank : 
but still I say that charity is too limited where the calls are 
so numerous. It must be acknowledged that no civilized 
country abounds with more appearance of poverty than ours. 
The general face of the land is covered, not with the warm 
cottages of an encouraged peasantry, not with the waving 
fields and lowing herds of an industrious yeomanry, but in 
general with "miserable hovels, where in several instances the 
light and the smoke make the same entrance and exit. I will 
not pretend to say that physical and political as well as 
moral causes may not be assigned for this evil : but I shall 
never profane this sacred chair to the discussion of any sub- 
jects, but those which tend to the formation of the Christian, 
and to which alone my ministry calls me. If we circumscribe 
our views within the walls of this city alone, how great is the 
field to call forth the humanity and to exercise the charity of 
the benevolent and the good 1 ? Did you but for one day 
attend the visitations of our clergy in discharge of their duty, 
Lord God ! what doleful scenes would be seen ! Want, sick- 
ness, and nakedness would alternately and in various shapes 
assail your view, and strike you with horror. Here are scenes 



ON CHARITY. 



349 



revealed which bashfulness conceals from the public view ; and 
pining children calling upon their heart-broken mother for the 
morsel she has not to give. 

Waiving particular details of distress I shall beg to ask 
where is the relief % In your pockets. You are commanded 
in holy writ to "honour the Almighty with your substance." 
How so 1 Because it is a real honour and glory unto God to 
see his providence justified before man. Now the providence 
of God never appears in a fairer view than when the different 
orders of men are occupied in assisting each other. Whereas 
if this mutual assistance be refused, if our brethren are 
suffered to perish for want of charitable aid, does it not 
appear that the Divinity must fall under the severe imputa- 
tion of abandoning the greater part of the human kind, by 
exposing them to misery and want"? For this reason the 
holy fathers and doctors of the Church in their instructions 
to the faithful on this subject, never failed to lay it down, 
not only as a breach of charity, but as a downright injustice and 
rapine, to refuse assistance to the poor ; inasmuch as they are 
deprived of a portion of wealth which the Almighty put into 
your hands merely for their subsistence ; and the Lord will 
lay at your door the sufferings which fell upon your brethren 
for want of that contribution, that charity which you with- 
held. Thus St. Gregory says : " When we afford necessaries 
to the poor we give them nothing of ours, but restore them 
their own ; we fulfil a debt of justice rather than accomplish 
a work of mercy." Of this the primitive Christians were so 
far convinced, that they were not satisfied with giving away 
for charitable uses a part of their substance, but sold all they 
had, that all might equally benefit by what riches the great 
and munificent Parent of all had blessed them with. 

Although I am very far from laying down this as a rule, 
yet it cannot but serve as a severe reproach to a great many 
who are so selfish and interested as to imagine that all they 
possess was given them for their sole and separate use, with- 
out the least regard to the wants of others. They abound in 
every thing, yet they think they never have enough ; and by 
centering their thoughts in themselves, never look abroad 
upon that part of mankind which in the views and disposi- 
tion of providence were to be maintained by their care and 
munificence. But let men of this inhuman character consider, 
that the very persons whom they now despise, are, notwith- 
standing all the vain distinctions of pride and ambition, no 
less than their own flesh and blood, as the Holy Ghost 
declares : " Do not despise your own flesh." Let them con- 



350 



SERMON XI. 



sider that Almighty God, in introducing them into this world, 
had their happiness no less at heart than that of the highest 
men in power ; and that one day they may be placed with 
Lazarus in possession of all the glory and riches of heaven, 
whilst themselves are sunk with Dives in the deep and gloomy 
caverns of eternal misery and pain. Let them consider that 
as they received all they possess by the free gift of the Lord, 
to make good use of it in this life ; so he is at liberty to call 
back his own, and deprive them of this substance by sudden 
and unforseen misfortunes. Turn your eyes around, and on 
every side you will behold instances of calamities swallowing 
up the successful gathering of many years. I do not say that 
insensibility to the wants of the poor produces always those 
temporal reverses ; because to the deep and impenetrable 
councils of the Lord no mortal is admitted : but I do say 
these reverses in life are often in consequence of such flinty 
conduct. On the other hand it is remarkable that where 
charity to the poor is a leading feature, even in this life, as an 
earnest of what will happen in the next, prosperity, tranquillity, 
and domestic comfort crown that man and his family ! 

The debt we owe the poor is as positive a debt as any we 
contract. " To you the poor are given in charge." Their 
wants, their sufferings, their miseries we are bound to attend 
to and relieve. Unless we discharge these duties, we cannot 
be said to fulfil the law which enjoins us to " love our neigh- 
bour as ourselves," and unless we fulfil the law, no hopes 
remain of ever entering the kingdom of heaven. How can it 
be said we love our neighbour or fulfil the law, if our neigh- 
bour's wants form no part of our care ; or, if knowing hi s 
wants, we refuse to relieve him 1 By our sedulous watchful 
care, we generally anticipate want in ourselves, and seldom 
know it but by name. Before pinching cold comes we cover 
ourselves warm ; before hunger comes we eat, and often drink 
when not thirsty ; but the shivering, naked, hungry poor, 
what becomes of them? — they are not thought of. "Let 
Providence take care of them." Yes, Providence will take 
care of them. He is their Father as well as yours, their Pro- 
tector as well as yours, their Rewarder as well as yours, their 
God as well as yours, and he will punish you for not employing 
a share of that substance which he has deposited in your 
hands in removing those wants by acts of charity, and smooth- 
ing those evils to which our fellow creature is liable. This 
is the true end for which substance has been placed by the 
Almighty in your hands ; first to satisfy the reasonable wants 
of your families, and after that to give everything superfluous 



ON CHAKITY. 



351 



to the poor. The patrimony of the poor, their property is in 
your hands. The laws of nature, as well as the laws of 
God, demand from you a share of that property in relief of 
your indigent brother. The false distinctions created by 
property are removed by charity, and it is by the exercise of 
this virtue that the views of Providence are fulfilled in con- 
ferring great abundance on some, and great want on others. 
Had we no other proof for the obligation of charity than the 
consideration drawn from those views of the Lord in estab- 
lishing the different conditions of life, I thing it were sufficient 
for that purpose : but what; sets this obligation still in a clearer 
light is its being expressly laid down in various places in the 
Mosaic law, as well as the law of grace. In the fifteenth 
chapter of Deuteronomy the Lord, speaking to his people, says : 
'•' I command you," — observe the stern authoritative manner 
wherein the Godhead speaks, " I command you to open your 
hand to your brother in want, and to the poor that dwell in 
the land in which you live." 

Our Saviour expresses himself nearly to the same purpose, 
when, speaking to his disciples, he says, " As for the rest give 
alms." St. Paul enforces the same obligation in the eighth 
chapter of his second epistle to the Corinthians, where he 
orders the faithful " to supply the wants of the poor out 
of their own abundance." Now, a refusal on our parts, or 
a neglect of supplying by charity the wants of the poor, is 
a violation of a positive command, a downright robbery, 
for which Jesus Christ will one day demand' satisfaction. 
The exercise of charity is rewarded beyond all other virtues, 
by an immediate internal consolation, which flows from 
the removal of distress, the relief of want. But should 
any of you be insensible to the fine feelings that arise 
from the exercise of charity, or what is of more consequence, 
to the obligation prescribed by the law, let him attend to the 
words of Jesus Christ, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, where 
the breach of this command of charity is the only cause alleged 
by our Saviour for condemning the reproved to hell fire, " Go, 
ye accursed, into eternal fire ;" — mind the reason " for I was 
hungry, and ye gave me not to eat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave 
me not to drink ; I was naked, and ye clothed me not ; sick 
and in prison, and ye visited me not." Upon asking where 
they had seen him in this state of suffering, he adds, " Verity 
I say unto you, so long as ye did it not to one of these little 
ones, ye did it not to me." 

Here you are to observe, with St. Augustine, that our 
Saviour says not, Depart from me, ye accursed, into everlast- 



352 



SERMON XI. 



ing fire, because you plundered your neighbour of his property, 
although this is a crime of great magnitude, and worthy of 
eternal punishment ; but because you refused him the assist- 
ance he stood in need of, when it was in your power to grant 
it; as if the want of charity was the only crime God would 
notice, or that it was so heinous in its nature as to absorb and 
overwhelm all other crimes in the deep vortex of its extensive 
guilt. 

Without charity, therefore, you can never expect the 
mercies of God ; and the exercise of charity is the best foun- 
dation to expect those mercies. It is not to be questioned that 
the person who bestows charity is more benefited by the gift, 
than the person on whom it is conferred ; because in the one 
case the gift only confers relief, limited in extent and short in 
duration ; but it returns benefit to the donor, unbounded in 
extent and eternal in duration. On the grounds, therefore, 
of self-interest, it is clear, that charity should be the most 
familiar with us of all the virtues prescribed by religion. The 
desire of gain and benefit is the prevailing principle with men 
in this world." Now what gain, what benefit is comparable to 
the glory of heaven, which shall be the reward of those who 
exercise charity upon earth : " Come, you blessed of my Father, 
and possess the glory prepared for you from the foundation of 
the world." Was it because they were pious and meek, and 
humble, and godly, and strictly honest in all their dealings % 
No : but because charity to their poor, forlorn, suffering 
fellow-creatures was familiar to them ; " I was hungry, and 
you give me to eat ; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink ; 
I was naked, and you covered me; sick, and in prison, and you 
visited me." 

From what has been said, it appears very plain that no 
point of our duty is more strongly enforced in the holy 
writings than the obligation of charity ; and this obligation is 
supported on one side by the most sublime rewards, and on 
the other by the most dreadful terrors. It is, notwithstanding, 
a lamentable truth, that this obligation is very rarely dis- 
charged. You all know several men of good fortunes or easy 
circumstances, who are almost strangers to this duty of religion. 
Although the income is large, yet nothing can be spared for 
the poor. Bank, retinue, equipage, living, gambling, racing, 
devour all, and devour the poor also. Out of several hundreds 
spent ever year in this manner, not one poor person is 
relieved ! All demands are supplied but those of charity. I 
recall that expression — all demands are not supplied. Debts 
are contracted and unpaid ; suits at law are commenced ; 



ON CHARITY 



353 



distress and trouble, and mortgages, and sales follow, and 
poverty comes galloping over the property of that man who has 
an unfeeling heart for the miseries of the poor. 

Stop one instant and reflect with me how many lives could 
be preserved by a small share of what is spent in this criminal 
extravagance. How many young persons saved from the ever- 
lasting stain of infamy and dishonour, which their poverty 
generally brings upon them ! how many head of families 
restored to their numerous offspring, who for want of small 
relief now lie languishing in the gloomy horrors of the most 
hideous confinement ! Yet the vanity of cutting a dash in 
the world, as they emphatically call it, prevails so far over 
these moving considerations as to leave no room for the per- 
formance of any one work of charity during the whole course 
of a year. But should I this day ask those dashers in the 
world — those hearts of iron which feel not the woes of 
humanity — for what purpose did the infinite wisdom of God 
place so much wealth in their hands 1 "Was it to be wasted in 
luxury and riot, vice and folly, whilst so many Christians, 
their flesh and blood, are perishing for want of the necessa- 
ries of life % Or what answer will they be able to make the 
great and dreadful Judge of the living and the dead, when 
he will upbraid them, as St. Ambrose says, before the whole 
world, in these words, " Inhuman and unchristian men, how 
came you to abuse the riches I bestowed upon you 1 You 
could line the walls of your houses with purple hangings and 
the richest tapestry, but you never thought of clothing your 
fellow-creature in his distress ; you could even adorn your 
horses with magnificent trapping, but you never would take 
notice of the rags several Christians were scarcely half 
covered with before your eyes." Then shall the Lord 
break forth in words of fire: "Begone from me." Why 
so, O Lord ? Because they felt not for their fellow-creature — 
they had bowels, not of charity, but of brass ; mercy was 
far from them : " No mercy now for those who have shown 
no mercy to others." Let then the just apprehensions of meet- 
ing with such inflexible rigour from the hands of the Lord 
rouse up our religion, and bend our attention upon the exercise 
of this divine virtue, charity, which you now find to be so 
essential a point in a Christian life, that without the exercise 
of charity we cannot fulfil one of the greatest obligations of 
the law of God, and consequently can form no claim to life 
everlasting. Charity, to become a virtue, must be directed by 
method and regulated by order. Of these I come now to treat, 
as well as a short view of the advantages arising from the 



354 



SERMON XI. 



practice of this virtue, to which I shall solicit a continuance of 
your attention. 

Second — Order and method should be distinguishing features 
in the practice of all virtues, especially of charity. For this 
end the first rule concerning charity is, that every one divide 
with the poor in proportion to his means. On this subject 
I cannot lay before you a finer lesson than old Tobias gave 
his son a little before his death : " Give alms out of thy 
substance, and turn not away thy face from any poor person : 
for so it shall come to pass that the face of the Lord shall not 
be turned from thee. According to thy ability be merciful. 
If thou have much, give abundantly : if thou have little, take 
care even so to bestow willingly a little. For thus thou storest 
up to thyself a good reward for the day of necessity. For alms 
deliver from all sin and from death, and will not suffer the 
soul to go into darkness. Alms shall be a great confidence 
before the most high God to all them that give it." Here the 
Spirit of God lays down the most excellent rules, and discloses 
the great blessings which flow from the practice of charity. In 
these days, as well as in former times, the practice of charity is 
most discernible among the poorer class of people. The help- 
less widow is seen to slip into the hands of the poor a part of 
her little means which would not be ill retained for herself 
and her poor little orphans — I say not ill retained, because 
what may be retained without a crime, becomes a high virtue 
in the grant, by sharing with the representative of Jesus 
Christ. The poor labourer in the country cheerfully receives 
and generously divides with the itinerant beggar the homely 
hard-earned morsel, as well as the fire-side of his hut. Look 
to this, you proud and lofty ones of this world, and learn in- 
struction from this scene ; you who can well afford charity, 
and still keep your hands for ever shut up, and your bowels 
steeled to every sentiment of mercy. Order here becomes in- 
verted, to behold the poor helping the poor, indigence aiding 
indigence, and the sorrowful and afflicted wiping away sorrow 
and affliction. " Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the king- 
dom of heaven." And to you, rich, who refuse mercy to 
the poor, I say with Jesus Christ in the Gospel : " Verily I say 
unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of 
heaven." Not that riches are an evil, but the abuse of riches, 
in denying to the poor that charity which the rich are specially 
bound to bestow. Now, supposing a man sincerely disposed to 
fulfil his duty, how far doth his obligation run with regard to 
charity, if wealthy 1 Tobias has answered that question : "If 
you have much, give abundantly." If mediocrity and a long 



ON CHARITY. 



355 



family be his lot 1 Make Jesus Christ one of that family. Lay 
out on the poor what would be necessary for the support of one 
additional child. Jesus Christ will repay his own debt. He 
will moreover bless that family and raise it up. 

All men are obliged, under pain of mortal sin, to give unto 
the poor the superfluous part of their fortunes, after supply- 
ing the necessary calls of family, rank, and condition. For 
although men possess their substance, divines observe, it is 
under such restrictions and limitations as deprive them of the 
free use of it ; because by a divine command w T e are bound to 
assist and relieve the poor, and the superfluous part of every 
man's fortune has always been called by the holy fathers the 
patrimony of the poor; and they cannot be deprived of their 
share, the right they possess, without a most flagrant injustice. 
This right in some cases, such as those of extreme necessity, 
extends so far, that the rich are obliged to retrench and cut 
away whatever belongs to decency or fashion, in order to bestow 
on the poor the means of preserving life. It is a great mis- 
fortune that no one can be scarcely convinced of having more 
than is barely sufficient for the support of himself and family. 
Were this true, I acknowledge they may stand acquitted 
before God — but who are those that excuse themselves in this 
manner 1 Those who find money to throw away upon every 
other occasion. One time it is a man, who from the vanity of 
shining in dress, lays out every year large sums on the most 
costly clothes, and soon after throws them away to substitute 
others at equal expense in their room. Another time, a person 
of the most excessive sensuality, who thinks nothing too nice, 
too new, too dear, to gratify his palate, and thus at one meal 
will consume more than would suffice to entertain one hundred 
poor men. Sometimes it is one who is known to lavish a great 
part of his income on horses, or hounds, or cards — for extrava- 
gance, and folly, and vice, money is found, but not one 
shilling can be spared for the craving miseries of a poor 
distressed family. Let all those retrench these excesses, so 
unworthy not only of a Christian, but of any rational being : 
and live with that temperance and sobriety St. Paul recom- 
mends, as well in dress and figure, as in living and diver- 
sions, and then they will be able to supply abundantly 
not only the wants of their families, but also those of the 
poor. 

But it may be asked, if property be one's own, may he not 
dispose of it as he likes 1 I have answered that question before, 
and St. Chrysostom answers it now : " It does not follow 
that because you have property you possess the right of 



356 



SERMON XI. 



throwing it away ; as it appears from the most solid principles 
of religion, that the Almighty intended the abundance you 
are possessed of to serve as a public and plentiful resource for 
the necessities of the poor." To dismiss this consideration, I 
join in opinion with the soundest divines, and recommend you 
most earnestly to lay by every week, every month, or every 
year, a certain portion of your substance, according to your 
respective abilities, to be distributed among the poor; intro- 
ducing thereby Jesus Christ into your domestic economy, and 
making him one of your family. Thus you discharge a most 
material obligation, whereon perhaps your eternal salvation 
depends. 

Next to order and method, the time at which we are 
obliged to give charity comes under consideration. To this 
it may be answered in general, that every one that has it in 
his power to do it, is obliged to relieve his neighbour as often 
as he stands in great need of his assistance. St. John remarks : 
"How can the love of God remain with that man, who, 
seeing his neighbour in necessity, shuts up his bowels of 
mercy, and refuses him relief?" For the better discerning 
those occasions which bring us under a heavy obligation of 
conscience, divines generally distinguish two sorts of necessity. 
The one extreme, wherein our brethren are perishing for want ; 
in this case every one sees how far his obligations extend. 
The other great and considerable, when our neighbour is 
likely to be reduced to unusual straits and hardships ; such as 
poverty, sickness, or confinement : even in these circumstances, 
divines say, there is no one but is obliged in conscience to 
give him whatever relief he can afford. Why so 1 Because 
that mention being made so often in Holy Writ of people being 
damned for want of giving charity, this obligation must occur 
frequently in the commerce of life : and of consequence cannot 
be restricted or limited to the occasions we call extreme, which 
happen but very seldom. 

Now I appeal to yourselves, can anything be more com- 
mon than to see these very occasions wherein we are strictly 
bound to assist our neighbours, overlooked by those who are 
possessed of ample means to afford such relief ? They will tell 
you, with a seeming air of charity, that they would readily 
stretch their hands to one in real want, but that they meet 
none of this description. Are not those in real want who walk 
every day naked before your eyes, exposed to all the injuries 
of the air and all inclemency of the seasons ; whose misery 
is so great that they look much more like animated shadows 
than living men 1 Consult their naked limbs and contracted 



ON CHARITY. 



357 



frames, their dejected looks and emaciated visages ; are not 
these strong and plain indications of the most miserable want % 
Are not those in want, and in great want, who lie stretched 
on a bed of suffering in the utmost pain and agony, for whole 
weeks and months together, without any other relief to ease 
their limbs than a handful of rotted straw ; or to cool the 
raging heat of a burning fever, but a few drops of tasteless 
water ] Is not the poor honest tradesmen in want, and in 
very great want, who, through the severity of a relentless 
creditor, sees his utensils, his little furniture, his all, seized 
upon; himself cast into prison, a wife and his whole family 
reduced from want of his labour and assistance to the lowest 
ebb of misery 1 ? Are not those in exceedingly great want, who, 
by unforeseen disasters and casualties, common in life, have 
been reduced from a certain degree of competence, decency, 
and comfort, to sudden ruin and deep distress ; and yet 
restrained by a certain shame which always attends virtue in 
distress, they sink deeper in their miseries, rather than by 
declaring them, to avail themselves of the resource common to 
all those who suffer in poverty 1 There is no day but you may 
behold instances of this kind, did you but look about, and 
examine with a little care and attention. Not even an hour 
in the day but you may hear them either cry out for your 
assistance, or reproach you in dumb silence with cruel in- 
sensibility. But far from listening to their moving cries, or 
keen but just reproaches, you seem to triumph over their 
suffering, by displaying all your vanity before their eyes. 
Sad contrast ! Christians abusing by criminal excesses the 
property lent them by the Lord, and refusing to pay the debt 
they owe to charity ; whilst their fellow-man, their brother in 
Christ, heir to the same hopes, the same promises, the same 
rewards, lies pining in woe and want, in calamity, sickness- 
and pain. " Tell it not in Gath ; publish it not in Askalon ; " 
the poor call on the rich for aid, and the poor are put off with 
a cold " God help you ! " Yes, the Lord God will help the 
poor ; but he requires that you also help them ; or rather that 
you help yourselves, since relieving the poor is productive of 
the greatest advantage to mankind. 

" Happy is the man," saith the royal prophet, " who 
takes notice of the indigent and poor ; " and thrice happy 
may we pronounce him, since he has taken the surest 
method imaginable to draw down upon himself the choicest 
blessings of heaven, with regard to this present life, but more 
especially with regard to the life to come. That charity 
towards the poor is attended with greatest advantages even 



S58 



SERMON XI. 



in this life, is confirmed by the authority of the Scriptures 
and the experience of all men. The Spirit of God, speaking in 
the twenty-eighth chapter of the book of Proverbs, says, " He 
that giveth unto the poor shall never want." This promise 
relates not only to this life, but to the next, because the 
word " never," being interminable in extent, can only apply to 
eternity, to which the world has no claim whatsoever. Besides, 
the man of charity shall succeed and prosper in all his under- 
takings, as we are assured in the chapter following. " He that 
pities the poor and relieves him lendeth to the Lord upon 
usury, and he will repay it." He will not only pay the princi- 
pal, but the usurious, the multiplied interest, by prospering and 
blessing all your undertakings. This is a natural and necessary 
consequence of getting God into your debt. Almighty, all- 
powerful, all- bountiful, as he is, he pays not his engagements 
by arithmetical calculation. He pays, or, in other words, he 
rewards like a God. He presses down, he crams close, he over- 
flows, as the Gospel says in various places ; and the charity 
you bestow on the poor he considers as an obligation con- 
ferred upon himself. " Yerily I say unto you, so long as you 
have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren you 
have done it unto me." 

Your own experience^on this subject, and your observation, 
must be great. Look about you, and see who are those who 
thrive most, I mean by fair and honest practices in the world. 
Are they not men of charity, who have always their hands 
open to the poor 1 It is a mystery to others, who are only 
" wise according to the flesh," as St. Paul styles it, how every- 
thing prospers in their hands. Whilst their neighbours all 
around meet the severest disappointments, either from the 
infidelity of servants, the contrivance of enemies, storms by 
sea, or dangers by land, they alone seem to be exempt from 
public as well as private calamity, and stand secure, as it were, 
from the evils which are scattered among other men. But 
what is the cause of all this 1 A particular protection from 
heaven which they have obtained by their plentiful alms ; 
whereas others, by their avaricious dispositions and insensi- 
bility to the poor, have made themselves obnoxious to a curse 
much like unto that the prophet pronounced against a part 
of Judea, whereby fertility was destroyed ; — " Mountains of 
Gelboe, let neither dew nor rain fall on you." I would not be 
understood to mean that prosperity in this life and exemption 
from severe trials are the reward of charity to the poor. But 
I do say they commonly attend it ; and the exceptions are 
generally marked by circumstances wherein the Almighty God 



OX CHARITY. 



359 



foresees that prosperity would be prejudical, or probably an in- 
surmountable obstacle to salvation. 

All temporal blessings, however grand, must fade away in 
the consideration of the great spiritual blessings which ever 
attend the practice of charity to the poor. Of these blessings 
some consist in atoning for past sins, reconciling you with 
heaven, and screening you from all clanger in the last dreadful 
passage from time and life into eternity. That charity to the 
poor has the power of appeasing the wrath of God, and recon- 
ciling us with the Most High, is most certain ; for the Gospel 
tells you so. " Give alms, and, behold, all things are made 
clean unto you." Not that this virtue has in itself the force 
of remitting sin, which is peculiar to the sacrament of penance ; 
but because its excellence is so great, and the exercise of it so 
agreeable unto God, that he cannot in some measure forbear 
looking down in pity on those who practise it. Divines are 
agreed that this virtue is surely productive of those spiritual 
advantages in consequence of the assurances the Almighty 
has given us to this purpose, both in the Old and the New Law. 
For if we consult the Scriptures, we shall find the most urgent 
motives for the practice of charity : " Extend your hand to 
the poor, that mercy may light on you. As water quenches 
fire, so do alms resist sin. These are the fruits of charity, to 
find mercy and life everlasting. Charity covereth a multitude 
of sins." Such are the great effects of charity to the poor ; 
and the holy fathers, St. Ambrose in particular, have gone so 
far as to say, that alms to the poor are the only effectual 
means of salvation those have to depend upon who are deeply 
immersed in vice. This appears very remarkable in the impious 
king of Babylon. Nebuchodonosor, whom the Almighty de- 
graded in this life below the rank of a beast : Go, says the 
prophet Daniel, "Redeem thou thy sins with alms, and thy 
iniquities with works of mercy to the poor." Here it is to be 
remarked, that this prince was guilty of the most abominable 
crime, that of usurping the adorati6n due alone to God — this 
crime, though great, was yet capable of being blotted out by 
alms. Nothing can resist the power of charity ; but its 
peculiar efficacy and virtue are seen in the dreadful passage 
from time to eternity — that awful period which the just 
beholds with terror, the sinner with horror. Then shall 
charity rise up and cover you from the anger of the living 
God, and conduct your souls to the mansions of repose. Then 
shall the Lord repay his debts for the charities bestowed for 
his sake on the poor. How 1 "In the evil day the Lord will 
deliver him." From what 1 From the fury of the devil ready 



360 



SERMON Xi. 



to devour him ; from the gulf of hell gaping to swallow him, 
and from the justice of God ready to fall on him. " In the 
evil day," during the existence of mortality, before life departs, 
when evils and terrors and clangers flock about to assail the 
conscious sinner ; charity to the poor shall then protect that 
sinner, and compel God to call him — in a moment of mercy, 
" the Lord will deliver him." 

In the day I speak of, " in the evil day," what will 
become of those who abuse their riches by penury or pro- 
digality, by want or waste What cruel apprehensions 
must tear them on approaching the judgment seat of 
God, whose laws they trampled on, whose monitions 
they despised, and whose wants they overlooked in the 
persons of the poor? What expectation, what grounds to 
hope for mercy, which they themselves refuse to the poor ? 
All the delusions of life are then clearly seen, when the door 
of eternity is just ready to open. If you wish to avoid the 
dreadful punishments which await sinners in eternity, and for 
eternity, take care to attend during life to the claims of the 
poor, to their wants and miseries, Infuse the balm of charity 
into their sorrows, bind up their woes with commiseration and 
relief, and Jesus Christ shall break all troubles before you. 
" Bend down thy ear to the poor, and pay thy debt," as the 
wise man directs. It is equally your duty as it is your interest. 
Proportionably to your fortunes, to your circumstances, 
and situation, " give, and it shall be given." Be generous to 
your God in the persons of the poor, and God will be generous 
to you. Give often — never pass by distress unnoticed. Give 
indifferently to all in want ; but if opportunity offers, let those 
who are united to you by the ties of blood have a preference : 
for this is the order of charity acknowledged by all divines, 
and o-rounded on the law of nature. Next to them consider 
the true disciples of Christ, according to the directions of St. 
Paul : but distress and want in your fellow-creature, no 
matter where found, should always be relieved. All mankind 
are your brethren ; all mankind, therefore, are objects of your 
charitv. When charity flows from you, remove natural pity 
and commiseration, which are human virtues only, and turn 
your thoughts upon Jesus Christ, and recognise him if possible 
in the persons of the poor. Think of his command, think of 
his love, think how much you owe him, and how little you 
pay him in relieving his poor representatives. Let neither 
vanity nor ostentation accompany charity : this would subject 
you to reproaches and the censures of the Pharisees by 
our Saviour. Convey charity in private and in public: in 



OX RESTITUTION. 



361 



private, because Christ, who sees you in private, will reward 
you in public ; in public, " that your good works may shine 
before men," and induce them to bless and magnify the great 
Father of all. Where no danger of vanity or ostentation occurs, 
I prefer the charity afforded in public ; because of the edifica- 
tion afforded by the publicity of a good act, and the emulation 
created by the force of good example. 

Without being the particular advocate of any particular 
charity, I have endeavoured this day to lay before you the 
obligations you all lie under of practising charity, as well as 
the advantages which flow from the practice of that virtue. 
Never let coldness or indifference to the wants of the poor, to 
their sufferings or miseries, form any longer a blot on your 
conduct ; for charity to the poor draws down, even in this 
life, very singular advantages, but after this life it will infal- 
libly introduce us to the embraces of God in the glory of 
heaven. Amen. 



SERMON XII. 

ON RESTITUTION. 

" Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all." — Matt., c. xviii., v. 26. 

Such was the entreaty made by the unfaithful servant men- 
tioned in the Gospel, who being deeply indebted to his lord, 
and knowing that forgiveness depended upon payment of the 
last farthing, he cried out, " Have patience with me, and I 
will pay thee all.' 5 In order to attain life everlasting it is not 
enough alone to die to our sins, and forsake them entirely ; it 
is, moreover, necessary to live in the full accomplishment of 
justice. " Who is the man," says the royal prophet, " who 
shall dwell in thy house, O Lord 1 He that walketh without 
sin and performeth justice." Now justice implies the full 
observance of the law, both in respect to God and our neigh- 
bour ; not only in paying to the Almighty the honour due unto 
him as supreme Master of the world, but also in preserving to 
our neighbour all his rights entire and inviolate. And yet 
few there are, even among those who pretend to a considerable 
share of religion, that pay the necessary attention to so 
material and indispensable a duty. We daily hear the 
loudest complaints of the most atrocious injustices — every 
city, every street, rings with the cries of the injured and 
oppressed. Scarcely can you meet one who has not endured 
the severest injuries — this man is despoiled of his property ; 

2 A 



362 



SERMON XII. 



another chicaned out of his lawful pretensions ; another 
wounded in the tenderest part — his character and fame. But 
do we hear of any reparation being made for so many heavy 
and enormous grievances'? Where is the man whose pro- 
perty is restored, whose character is cleared up and justified, 
and whose rights are allowed 1 I appeal to your own expe- 
rience and knowledge of the world, if this be not a thing 
almost unheard of. A criminal and fatal omission in the 
discharge of this duty, so discernible among Christians, de- 
mands this day the best exertions of the ministers of the 
Gospel. The dearest interests of society, as well as your 
eternal salvation, being connected with the faithful discharge 
of the precept of restitution, I feel myself called upon to lay 
before you, 

First — How strict and indispensable is the obligation of 
restitution ; and, 

Secondly — What persons are particularly obliged thereunto. 

The consideration of these two propositions will comprehend 
vast matter for your instruction, and, I hope, improvement. 
Lend me your steady attention, and unite with me in apply- 
ing to the Father of Lights, for that docile disposition 
necessary to hear his word, in order to bring forth fruit unto 
life everlasting. Almighty Father ! Essential Justice ! give 
thy servant impressive words, and my hearers tractable hearts ; 
that hearing, they may hear thy law on restitution, and square 
their lives by its principles. 

First — A duty prescribed by divine command, that has the 
greatest and most lasting influence on our salvation, must 
necessarily be reputed a duty of the strictest obligation. Such 
is the nature of restitution. The law of God orders us to 
restore whatever we have acquired unjustly, and orders it on 
the severest terms, in every circumstance of life, under pain 
of forfeiting all our rights to the kingdom of heaven. " Thou 
shalt not steal," says the Lord ; by which we are not only 
forbidden to take away by force or fraud, but also to keep un- 
justly our neighbour's substance : for as the end of the divine 
law was to provide for the safety of mankind in general, and 
to secure every man in his property from any outward in- 
justice, this end would not have been sufficiently compassed, 
were it lawful for any one to retain peaceably what he had 
unjustly usurped ; this detention being as real a prejudice, 
and as. detrimental to our neighbour, as any violence. If the 
law says, " Thou shalt not covet," which, being only an act 
of the mind, is yet highly criminal before God ; how much 
more so unjustly to detain property in our hands, or to deprive 



OX RESTITUTION. 



363 



our neighbour of his substance 1 And here, my brethren, I 
cannot but deplore the error, or rather the affected ignorance 
of some people, who, because they were not the first or im- 
mediate authors of the injustice, would fain think themselves 
free from reproach, and not bound to restitution. Knowing 
themselves possessed of another man's substance, they may 
even say they are ready to restore it when called for, but think 
themselves not obliged to make the first advances. Is not 
this, I ask you, trifling with God 1 It is not eluding, in a 
crafty and criminal manner, the most sacred laws of equity 
and reason 1 The obligation of restitution is, moreover, 
grounded on the love we owe our neighbour, in virtue of the 
divine injunction : " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." 
How can we pretend to love him whilst we retain unjustly in 
our hands a portion of his substance, the privation of which 
has perhaps reduced him to the lowest misery 1 

You probably have been witnesses to many scenes of this 
nature. Traders have been ruined, industry crippled, and 
whole families overturned, by the private evil doings of a 
single man. Many have declined insensibly, and gradually 
sunk into indigence, by being wrongfully kept out of a part of 
their substance for a considerable length of time. Any deten- 
tion of a just debt after the legal time of payment comes round, 
is unfair, and a sin ; and this sin increases in proportion to the 
injury sustained by such unfair detention. Tradesmen's and 
labourers' demands should be instantly discharged on applica- 
tion ; otherwise a species of robbery is incurred, besides a 
species of another sin that cries to heaven for vengeance — 
oppression of the poor ; for, disguise it as you may under the 
errors of a false conscience, it is oppression not to pay work- 
ing people what you owe them. But the trifle you owed was 
small, you may say — the more guilty I say ; because the 
smaller the debt the easier the payment : besides, what you 
call small, may be of a great consequence to the owner ; what 
you call a trifle, may cause the downfall of a fair and honest 
dealer ; what you call a trifle, I say, would have prevented 
many a mournful sigh and melting tear, the moans of sorrow, 
and the tortures of despair : what you call a trifle, I say, would 
have maintained joy and plenty throughout a numerous family, 
and preserved their grey hairs from the infamy, if I may so call 
it, their indigence has brought upon them. Now I ask, how 
can actions of this nature be consistent with the love our 
neighbour has a right, an indispensable right, to expect at our 
hands ? Can a man who deprives or withholds from another his 
substance, or a part of his substance, and becomes thereby in- 



364 



SERMON XII. 



strumental to all the misfortunes he meets with in the world, 
can such a man be said to love his neighbour, and love him as 
he ought 1 Reflect one moment how tender you are of your 
own interests, and how jealous in preserving them ; would, you 
tamely submit, would you allow, would you be glad that 
another made the least attempt against your fortune 1 Would 
you not consider him as an enemy were he even inclined to do 
so 1 Undoubtedly you would. Turn then your thoughts 
inwardly upon yourselves, and examine how guilty you 
may be on this head by withholding the property of 
your neighbour. Consider thus withholding it is inconsistent 
with the love you owe your neighbour ; and consider that the 
love of your neighbour is the second great precept of the law, 
without which it is impossible to please God, or obtain life 
everlasting. Besides, the law allows but three titles to pro- 
perty * and the law of the land is here grounded on the divine 
law — purchase, acquisition, or donation. Now he who with- 
holds what he neither purchased, nor acquired, by his labour, 
nor holds by any grant given him, acts in direct opposition 
to all the laws of justice, and violates every principle of the 
law of reason, which is also the law of nature, for which the 
Lord God will not hold him guiltless. 

The obligation of restitution being laid before you, grounded 
on principles of justice, mutual love, and common reason, it 
appears to me scarcely necessary to establish it on that pillar 
of light on which I always like to establish all doctrinal points 
— the holy Scripture.. Here the Lord speaks: "If anything 
be taken away unlawfully, restitution must be made the 
owner." He, therefore, who refuses to restore, when it is in 
his power to do so, transgresses a divine command, and incurs 
the pains of that transgression — the loss of God above, and 
eternal sorrows below. The great apostle. St. Paul, says : 
" Rapacious men will never enter the kingdom of heaven." 
By the word, " Rapacious," we are to understand, St. Austin 
explains it, those that appropriate to themselves the substance 
of other people." The holy father goes farther, and says, 
" Non tollitur peccatum donee restituatur ablatum :" No in- 
justice can ever be forgiven, until restitution be made. It 
must either be made actually : or sincere dispositions formed 
in the heart to make it as soon as possible, otherwise the sin 
will not be forgiven. Deplorable then must the situation of - a 
Christian be, who, feeling the obligation of restitution, refuses 
to comply therewith. Let me tell such unhappy persons, let 
me warn them, that so long as they persist in such pernicious 
intentions, they can neither hope for the mercies of God in 



ON RESTITUTION". 



365 



this life, nor his glory in the next. Although they should 
pray, and fast, and give alms ; although they should fulfil all 
the other precepts of the law, and refuse to comply with the 
obligation of restitution, so long will they remain enemies to 
God, and their own most cruel enemies also. That portion of 
their neighbour's substance which they retain unlawfully in 
their hands, and the long chain of evils which often is 
necessarily entailed thereby, will for ever be crying out for 
vengeance unto the Lord, like the blood of Abel so inhumanly 
shed by a barbarous brother ; and the Lord, who is essential 
justice, cannot but be moved thereby, and in his own good 
time will pour out his wrath on the guilty usurper's head. 

You may ask, perhaps, is not sincere repentance sufficient 
before God % Sincere repentance truly is sufficient ; but 
observe, there can be no such thing as sincere repentance, 
without making restitution : for repentance necessarily inches, 
not only a detestation of sin, in general, and of our own in 
particular, but also a fixed and determinate will to observe 
every material point of the law ; and as restitution is one of 
these points, it follows, that no man can be supposed to have 
a true sorrow for his injustices, without conceiving at the 
same time a real and effectual desire of repairing them. Many, 
notwithstanding, are daily seen to deceive themselves in so 
material a point. They cannot be ignorant that they possess 
the property or substance of other people ; the clothes they 
wear, the food they consume, the very houses they inhabit, 
remind them of their injustice, and yet it is impossible to 
prevail with them to discharge their duty on this head. Some 
Mall tell you, with great gravity and coolness, that they can- 
not do justice to others, as they are daily wronged by others 
themselves. This indeed is a strange way of reasoning ; be- 
cause others run headlong to hell, they must follow the 
example ! Will the multitude of transgressors be any excuse 
for your crimes, or any alleviation to the torments the 
Almighty has decreed against sin and the sinner, the iniqui- 
tous and the unjust 1 Should you not rather say, because 
doing so would be squaring your life by the Gospel, " I will 
wrong no man although I am daily wronged by others, and 
will walk alone in the paths of righteousness, amidst the gene- 
ral depravity of mankind." Others will tell you they cannot 
think of making restitution, because it would be attended 
with ruin to themselves and their families. But let them con- 
sider what would become of themselves and their families if 
their neighbour's substance, or any part thereof, had never 
fallen into their hands ; that of the two it is much more 



366 



SERMON XII. 



natural the guilty should suffer, rather than the innocent. 
What is more, I can assure them that parting generously, and 
like a Christian, equitably, with what they have no right to, 
far from impoverishing their families, will be a sure means of 
making [ them prosper in the world, by drawing down a 
blessing from heaven upon all their undertakings. Strange 
reasoning, my brethren, to refuse making restitution lest you 
should fall into misery and want ! But know, that this alone 
is enough to draw down on your guilty heads the 
very misfortunes you are so apprehensive of. The Holy 
Ghost tells you as much by the prophet Micheas : " The 
treasures of iniquity (that is, wealth unlawfully acquired) 
are an active fire, that consumes and devours everything 
in the house of the wicked and unjust." By means of 
those ill-acquired and criminally-kept riches, you may bustle 
through, and cut a figure in the world, for a time, but be 
sure the day will come, and shortly come, as the Spirit of 
Truth declares, when all these riches will be swept away on a 
sudden, without leaving the least remains behind : like the 
impetuous torrent formed by a sudden cataract on the moun- 
tains, which, rushing violently down the sides, bears away 
everything in its passage, but in a few moments disappears, 
leaving dry the channel which before could not contain the 
deep and rapid torrent. That similitude is taken from the 
forty-sixth chapter of Ecclesiastes. 

In this, as in all other instances, how truly are thy words, 
O my God, verified ! Cast your eyes about, and behold how 
many instances of this nature could be produced, were we to 
consult the annals of time, or even our own short experience 
in life ! How many fortunes have dwindled away in the short 
space of a very few years ! The unjust foundations they were 
raised on, shaken secretly by the hand of God, began to totter 
when least expected, and soon rushed tumbling to the ground. 
If then you wish to avoid the like fate, give every man his 
own — restore whilst restoration or restitution becomes a virtue, 
and the harbinger of blessings : for honesty, with the slenderest 
funds, shall open a fairer prospect to prosperity, than heaps of 
riches grounded on injustice. 

Others, in fine, will tell you, that at present they cannot 
part with what they have, but are sincerely disposed so to settle 
matters at their death as to do justice to mankind. But this 
is a manifest illusion of self-love, which will most certainly 
prove the cause of their entire perdition. The precept of 
restitution is so obligatory in its nature, and the execution of 
it cannot, generally speaking, be deferred, without committing 



ON KESTITUTION. 



367 



a great sin — for which reason it is agreed on by all divines, 
that one who defers making restitution when it is in his power 
to make it, can by no means be absolved or admitted to the 
sacrament. Deferring restitution aggravates the crime of 
detention, because it implies the knowledge of an injustice 
which we refuse to atone for ; and we see by the experience 
of the world, that restitution thus deferred is rendered im T 
practicable. Your intention by delay is, not to inconvenience 
yourself by an act of justice, but to make it obligatory upon 
your heirs : but will they perform that act of justice which 
you yourself refused to do 1 Your heirs may perhaps inherit 
your vices, as well as means — if so, think you, will they be 
more heroically virtuous than you, to let go that grip of your 
neighbour's means which you wickedly held whilst alive 1 
Your salvation is too momentous to let it hang by such cob- 
web reasoning ; your salvation demands of you that act when 
living, which, when dead, may be neglected or forgotten. 
Suppose your heirs to entail the same obligation on their 
successors ; thus the injustice is handed down from father to 
son, and yet the reparation is never made. Will God hold 
you guiltless for thus sporting with his holy laws 1 No : your 
honest views, your sincere intentions, will not excuse you. 
You should know, by examining your own heart, which every 
Christian is bound to do, and judging of others, by your own 
vicious propensities, that a strong attachment to riches is a 
vice so general, that very very few are willing to give up 
what they are possessed of. If then you refuse to repair an 
injustice of which you are conscious, when you could and 
ought to do it, it is a criminal omission that will pursue and 
condemn you at the judgment seat of God. If, on the last 
day, God shall condemn to hell-fire such as refuse to give 
away a part of their lawful, rightful substance to relieve the 
poor in their necessities, with what vengeance will he treat 
those that retain what they have no right or title to 1 At 
your leisure, and in silence, meditate on this dreadful truth, 
and it will render you docile to the voice of justice. Having 
thus shown you how strict and indispensable the obligation of 
restitution is, grounded on a divine command, and enforced 
by severe penalties, it remains that we examine who the 
persons are that are specially bound by this obligation ; which 
will appear in the following part of this discourse. 

Second — If it be a general principle, that any one who 
injures another in his property or reputation is bound to 
repair the injury, so far as he is able, at the risk of his salva- 



368 



SERMON XII. 



tion ; it follows that wide and extensive is the field we are en- 
tering on, as no state of life is exempt from numerous and daily 
wrongs. A master, for instance, makes little of keeping a poor 
servant for many months, perhaps years, out of his hard-earned 
wages, and if ever he pays, thinks he has fulfilled all justice. But 
still he is bound in conscience to repair the loss the poor servant 
suffered by want of his wages. The money in his industrious 
hands would have turned to a beneficial account, would have 
fructified, and the injury here lies at his master's door, which 
he is bound to repair. The servant, in turn, makes no scruple 
of neglecting his master's business, embezzling his substance, or 
suffering it to be embezzled by others, consuming wastefully 
his provisions, destroying his furniture, and letting all go to 
ruin ; but let him know, that in the eyes of God he is account- 
able for whatever perishes through his fault, as he is paid for 
watching over and taking care of his master's substance. The 
guilt is incurred, as well by the plunder and neglect of the 
servant, as by the servant conniving at the plunder made by 
others, or the want of the necessary vigilance — for all which 
restitution must be made. Workmen and labourers come also 
under consideration. You agree with a man, or a set of men, 
to perform a certain task : whilst the master is present, the 
work goes on as it ought, but as soon as he turns aside, the 
work is neglected ; and yet the workmen shall insist upon full 
payment. But let them understand, that all they receive over 
and above the just value of the work they performed, is so 
much stolen, for which restitution must be made. A stranger, 
innocent, inexperienced, and unacquainted with the value of 
merchandise, comes into your place for some of the goods you 
sell : immediately perceiving his ignorance, you take advan- 
tage of it, by exacting more than the value or the accustomed 
price, or foisting on him bad or damaged goods. This you 
call a lucky hit — but I tell you, it is an injustice for which 
restitution must be made; otherwise the justice of God shall 
seize you, and you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven ! 
Many, very many there are who use false weights ; mix their 
liquors, or adulterate their goods, which they sell out after- 
wards at the price of pure and unmixed goods : but be it 
known unto them, that as all this is a cheat upon the public, 
unless restitution be made, they shall account for it at the 
judgment seat of God. 

Others make no difficulty of engrossing and monopolizing 
by their own private authority, and without any legal com- 
mission, all the provisions of a market, in order afterwards to 



ON RESTITUTION. 



369 



sell them out, at the most exorbitant rates — but be it known 
unto them, that as this is a burthen they unjustly throw upon 
the public, they must make restitution, otherwise they shall 
never enter the kingdom of heaven. You owe a just debt — 
and to induce your honest creditor to accept a composition, 
you trump up a catalogue of real or imaginary losses ; or you 
are indebted to one, whose knowledge or circumstances do not 
allow him to take a speedy course for the recovery of his right, 
for which reason you put him off from day to day, from week 
to week, and employ all the little turns and intricacies of the 
law to defeat his designs, until at length, taking advantage of 
his inability, you compel him to accept of an unjust composi- 
tion ! but be it known to you, you are bound to restore all 
the damages and expenses he sustained, otherwise you will 
never enter the kingdom of heaven. A tailor seldom fails to 
take up in a merchant's shop more cloth and appendages than 
are necessary, for the base purpose of selling the overplus to 
dishonest workmen or wicked buyers, who afterwards sell out or 
make up, on their own account, the produce of this dishonest 
traffic ; but know, O ye wise ones in the ways of fraud and 
vice, that restitution must be made of all you have acquired 
in this iniquitous way ; otherwise you shall never enter the 
kingdom of heaven. Still more melancholy is the remark 
that the shopkeeper blushes not to favour these fraudulent 
practices, by never detecting the villany, which he is always 
in charity bound to do ; and by even becoming partaker of the 
injustice, in exchanging for the dishonest workman the goods 
he knows to have been wrongfully taken up — in which case, 
he is as much bound to restitution as if he gave his goods for 
money which he saw picked out of his neighbour's pocket. 
Again, many there are who often raise fortunes by the most 
unlawful and exorbitant interest. A distressed gentleman, 
for instance, applies for cash for a bill where he knows cash 
may be found — but the man of money acknowledges the bill 
is a good one, but has not the cash at present ; if, however, 
the gentleman buys an elegant horse in his stable for forty 
guineas (intrinsically worth ten), or a prime hogshead of wine 
for fifty guineas (intrinsically worth twenty), he will strive to 
procure him the balance in money. Necessity compelling — 
the bargain is closed. But the vengeance of God shall pursue 
that man and his money, unless restitution be made. Like 
evil birds brooding among the willows, others are seen watch- 
ing the occasion of grasping the property of the widow and 
the orphan — some buy at a great undervalue from those 
whose title is doubtful, and rejoice when the occasion offers of 



370 



SERMON XII. 



drawing a considerable interest into their hands, even by 
crushing or trampling on distress. But let all who act thus 
comprehend, that without restitution there is no such thing 
as ever entering the kingdom of heaven. Let those who are 
charged with the administration of justice, or are employed on 
references, always hold the balance even in their hands, with- 
out inclining to either side from motives of private interest or 
affection : but if it be necessary to throw a burthen upon 
both parties, as it often is, let the distribution be made with 
justice and impartiality, according to circumstances and 
situation ; if it be not done so, it is a breach of j ustice, which 
must be repaired in this life, or eternally punished in the 
next. 

Hitherto I have touched upon some of the direct methods 
of hurting our neighbour — some of the indirect ways of hurting 
him now demand your most serious attention, because they 
subject us no less to the laws of restitution, than to the anger 
of heaven. Revenge, that corroding malady of the mind, bursts 
forth like black vapours from a volcano, and vomits calumnies, 
as unchristian as unfounded, whereby character is destroyed, 
and all the blessings of social life blasted. In the trading line, 
many have lost both credit and fortune by one false report. 
How many young persons have lost decent establishments by 
one false hint ? Every day we see the most unblemished 
characters winked down in a female club, or shrugged away by 
a set of grave, morose, censorious men. Yet the law of God 
requires those guilty of crimes of this nature, in the first place, 
to restore their neighbour's character by a public retraction ; 
and in the second, to repair all the losses, and atone for all the 
damages they may have suffered by reason of their false asper- 
sions or calumnious insinuations. The laws of charity being 
violated by trespassing on your neighbour's good name or 
property, restitution and reparation must be made — palliatives 
will not excuse you ; though I know it is generally said, that 
no harm is meant by those loose and unguarded expressions. 
You who cast a firebrand among your neighbour's goods, 
whereby conflagration and ruin follow, or who, blindfolded, 
wield a weapon that deals death and destruction all around, 
can you set up an excuse of meaning no harm, or if you should, 
how far will it palliate your crimes for the evil incurred '1 Be- 
sides, it is well known, that from the corruption of human 
nature, people are apt to put the worst construction upon every- 
thing, and transform the minutest failings into crimes of the 
blackest dye ; so that, whatever bad consequences arise to your 
neighbour from your criminal conduct, must be repaired, other- 



ON RESTITUTION. 



371 



wise the great God will charge them on the authors, and they 
will for ever stand between them and the kingdom of heaven. 

Another species of knavery, under the false name of dex- 
terity and skill, is sometimes practised by trading people. 
Envious of your neighbour enlarging his trade and thriving in 
appearance more than yourself, and resolved to pull him 
down, or at least to retard his career, you attack him not by 
open force, but secret treachery — you undermine his credit ; 
you write to his correspondents abroad, to be cautious in send- 
ing goods to a man, of whom you have a doubtful opinion. 
Doubts and apprehensions of course seizing the correspondents, 
the orders are stopped, the goods withheld — disappointments, 
decline, and ruin follow. Again, an old trader observes a 
young man commence a business that has been, perhaps, ex- 
clusively in his hands for many years before: but a competitor 
or a sharer of its profits must not be allowed — and rather than 
suffer it, he resolves to sacrifice a part of his own property, by 
selling his goods under prime cost, for the purpose of depriving 
the young man of all trade, and thereby effecting his ruin. 
These cases call down the just anger of God — and unless 
reparation be made, will for ever exclude from the kingdom of 
heaven. Sometimes little pains are taken to conceal those 
wicked designs, which break forth in open declarations that 
such a one is an unfair trader, his goods damaged, adulterated, 
or inferior to your own ; but know, thou wise and cunning 
worldling, compensation, atonement, restitution must be made 
for all damages caused by such conduct, otherwise thou never 
wilt enter the kingdom of heaven. 

So common is injustice grown in our days, that sooner 
might my powers of strength and utterance fail, than the occa- 
sions which subject us to the obligation of restitution. Lest, 
however, I should trespass too much on that steady attention 
which you have kindly given me, I shall hasten to a conclu- 
sion, most earnestly beseeching you, as you value that glory 
so dearly purchased for you by Jesus Christ on the cross — as 
you fear the dreadful torments prepared for sinners, that you 
fulfil the great duty of restitution — that you repair the 
damages heretofore caused by your imprudence, and . restrain 
all your senses for the time to come, by the laws of Christ and 
his Church. For a mess of pottage, do not, like Esau, give up 
your noble birthright. What you retain in your hands is 
but a trifle, which never can prosper, and yet this trifle (dread- 
ful is the reflection !) shall deprive you for ever of the kingdom 
of heaven. Can you reflect thus and not tremble % Suppose 
by trampling on the laws of justice you become possessed of 



372 



SERMON XII. 



this whole world, its honours, riches, and pleasures : suppose 
you held the possession of these a hundred, a thousand, ten 
thousand years — the term still is short : death will come with 
all its terrors; the soul must go, and the* body will follow, to 
the region of horrors, there to drink the cup of the wrath 
of God, whilst God is God ! Thus this world shall pass and 
all its toys ; time and all its passing cheats — but the soul 
lives, lost to itself, its God, eternity and all ! How long 1 
Alas ! for ever and ever ! 

Were those now suffering by the terrible justice of heaven, 
for neglecting to repair the injustices they committed — were 
they allowed to return to life, O how exemplary would be 
their restitution ; but so dead is their hope, so black their 
despair, that were they possessed of ten thousand worlds, all 
would they give for one drop of water to cool their tongues. 
Take warning, then, by their deplorable fate. I charge you, on 
the part of Almighty God, to restore, without delay, whatever 
you unjustly possess belonging to others. Make restitution for 
the damages you have caused ; let nothing stand in competition 
with your salvation; take care and avoid all injustice for the 
future, and behave in your respective stations, as St. Paul 
desires you, " soberly and honestly." Masters, attend to your 
servants — pay them full and fair, and defraud them not of 
their earnings. Act thus from a principle of j ustice ; but if 
you do not, remember there is a master above, who shall weigh 
you in the scales of the sanctuary — a diamond scale, where 
"justice without mercy," shall be the lot of all the unjust. 
Servants, attend to your master — fulfil the duties for which 
you are hired; waste not the time of your employment, or work, 
in idleness : his property waste not, nor let others waste. 
Watch as Christ desires you, for this end you are employed ; 
and the great Master in heaven, who placed you under a tem- 
poral master on earth, shall reward or punish you as you deserve ; 
and "every man according to his works." In your mutual 
intercourse with each other, cherish the principle of honesty, 
which is indispensable to your salvation, and a virtue dear to 
God, and most beneficial to man. Should you in the streets, 
in the common highway, meet the property of your neighbour, 
knowing it not yours, you are bound to seek for, and restore 
it to the owner. But the principle of this virtue must be 
carried farther than outward actions ; a bridle must be put on 
your words ; no more malicious reflections, uncharitable 
insinuations, fraudulent practices, or unlawful contrivances : 
our very intentions must be guarded, and corrupt nature 
restrained in the bud — thus the reign of justice shall com- 



ON PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY. 



373 



mence, by restoring to every man his own. For this end, O 
Lord ! we beseech thy grace in this life, and thy glory in the 
next. Amen. 



SERMON XIII. 

ON PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY. 
John in prison. — Matt., c. xi., v. 2. 
Herod on the throne, and John in prison ; iniquity in 
triumph, and virtue in distress ; the abettors of wickedness 
surrounded with every advantage of life, whilst the friends 
and favourites of heaven labour under the heaviest calamities. 
Here is an object, my brethren, capable of perplexing and even 
staggering the most firm and discerning minds. The decrees, 
however, of Providence are to be revered, even in his most 
dark and impenetrable proceedings — what the Almighty 
ordains must be both just and good. Although this single 
consideration were enough to justify the ways of heaven, yet 
our blessed Redeemer has been pleased to give ns more ample 
and pleasing lights upon this head in the Gospel : " Happy 
they that shall suffer on account of righteousness, for theirs 
is the kingdom of heaven. The world shall rejoice, but 
ye shall weep and mourn ; but your sorrow shall be turned 
into everlasting joy." If worldly joys and comforts be 
generally the portion of the wicked upon earth, it appears 
clearly from those words of Jesus Christ, our Lord, that 
sufferings here below shall be the especial inheritance of the 
just. This is visibly the appointment of the eternal and un- 
erring wisdom of God. Yet many there are so little acquainted 
with the great and fundamental principle of religion, as to 
feel pain, often indignation, on beholding the afflictions of the 
just — the peace and tranquillity of sinners. Amidst those 
mysterious dispensations of Providence, their dull minds can 
hardly distinguish the slenderest vestiges of the bounty 
or justice of God ; inasmuch as they frequently say within 
their breasts, " If the Almighty be just, why doth he suffer 
the wicked to thrive? if all-bountiful and good, why doth 
he not assist and protect the virtuous ?" With all weak and 
superficial minds, this, my brethren, is the seeming scandal of 
religion, and a great obstacle to virtue. To remove this 
scandal, and justify thy way, O God ! in dispensing prosperity 
and adversity here below, be mine the important, instructive 
task ; and thine the glory, O Spirit of Truth 1 in furnishing 



374 



SERMON XIII. 



me -with correct ideas and impressive words, that we may all 
venerate and adore the wisdom of thy judgments and the 
equity of thy ways. For this purpose, my brethren, I solicit 
your attention to the consideration of two propositions, im- 
portant yet simple. 

First — That the prosperity of the wicked is one of the 
greatest punishments the Almighty can inflict ; and the 

Second — That the afflictions of the just are among the 
greatest blessings he can bestow. 

First — The Spirit of God warns you, in the words of king 
David: "Do not envy the happiness of those that prosper in 
their ways, because they will soon perish, like a blade of grass 
that withers in the dust." The very felicity they enjoy is the 
source and immediate cause of their eternal perdition ; as it 
first, necessarily gives rise to the greatest immoralities ; and 
secondly, necessarily obstructs the most essential virtues — 
such virtues as are absolutely requisite towards attaining the 
kingdom of heaven. 

It is very plain, mv brethren, that the prosperity of sinners 
is the cause of their licentiousness, their intolerable pride, 
insatiable ambition, flagrant injustices, their impiety, and 
dissoluteness. Is it not prosperity that feeds and inflames 
their passions, that supplies them with frequent, or rather 
continual opportunities of gratifying the most irregular ap- 
petites, in open violation of the laws of God 1 Is it not 
prosperity that enables them to transgress every obligation 
with impunity, and procures them even honour and applause 
amidst the most base and shameful excesses ? A man whom 
prosperity has placed in the superior ranks of life, is apt to 
think himself in reality above the level of his fellow-creatures : 
the glare of wealth and grandeur dazzles his eyes and 
obscures his understanding, so that he never views himself but 
in a false light — a light always advantageous to himself, and 
disadvantageous to others; and under these circumstances, it 
is no way surprising he should cry out, like the publican in the 
Gospel : "I give thee thanks, O God, that I am not like 
unto the rest of mankind." Hence proceed that contempt 
and disdain which are so very discernible in all persons in ele- 
vated stations : scarcely will they look down on their fellow- 
creatures, as if they were formed themselves of nicer clay, or 
as if all they pride and glory in were any more, as the royal 
prophet observes, than ashes and dirt. But are sentiments of 
this kind, my brethren, consistent with the spirit of Jesus 
Christ, who hath solemnly declared, that " unless you become 
like unto little children," as free from vanity and pride as 



ON PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY. 



375 



they are, and entertain as slender an opinion of yourselves 
as they constantly do, " you shall never enter the kingdom of 
heaven 1 " 

The next attendant upon prosperity is ambition — ambition 
of wealth — of honours. In the prosecution of these sentiments, 
and the gratification of these passions, how many heinous sins 
and transgressions necessarily occur ! The ambitious man 
stops at nothing to place himself in the high station to which 
his vanity aspires. Deceit, calumny, circumvention, depres- 
sing the good, supplanting the most deserving, uniting with 
the most iniquitous and unjust ; in a word, the most criminal 
steps and proceedings are all overlooked the moment they 
become favourable to his ambitious views. In this situation 
he necessarily forgets that great injunction which Jesus Christ 
lays upon all the faithful, in general ; " Seek first the kingdom 
of heaven," seek it before all things, and if you do, the word 
of Christ is pledged that " all the rest shall be given unto 

Covetousness, or an insatiable desire of wealth, is the next 
evil that appears in the train of prosperity. To gratify this 
passion, what frauds and injustices are daily committed'? How 
many ways and practices are followed, highly criminal in their 
nature, which avarice glosses over with the specious name of 
fair and equitable dealing ! The most execrable usury is often 
practised in the eyes of a Christian country, under the criminal 
disguise of new and ingenious industry. Possessed of these 
principles, how is it possible for those to fulfil the commands of 
Jesus Christ, who orders us not to love this world, nor the 
things of this world ; to despise all the perishable wealth of this 
world, and lay up treasures in the kingdom of heaven, where 
time consumes not, nor violence takes away — where the moth 
doth not destroy nor accidents impair 1 

Were the evils attendant on prosperity, I mean those 
which prosperity usually gives rise to — were they confined to 
the catalogue we have just touched upon, it were sufficient 
to excite the alarm and the terror of every virtuous mind ; 
but the evil stops not here, it extends even to the most 
unbounded voluptuousness and dissoluteness ; for, by means 
of wealth, nothing is wanting to gratify the passions : and 
from being constantly gratified, the passions become strong 
and violent ; like a flame which burns the fiercer the more 
it is fed with fuel. Hence that licentiousness, so very 
remarkable in people of fortune and opulence, whose study 
is pleasure, whose pursuits are delights and joys : and to 
procure this pleasure, those delights and joys, expense is 



376 



SERMON XIII. 



neither spared, nor opportunities neglected, nor improvement 
omitted. That day, that hour, not diversified by some new 
amusement, would be tedious, dull, and heavy • and where 
innocent amusement is overlooked, criminal enjoyment is 
grasped at. But I would ask, my brethren, how is all this con- 
sistent with that temperance and sobriety St. Paul requires at 
our hands : that abnegation and self-denial Jesus Christ uni- 
versally enjoins — " If any one will be my disciple, let him 
deny himself," — let him refuse himself the gratification of his 
passions, and all his irregular appetites 1 

Seeing, therefore, that the prosperity of this world is the 
fruitful source of the greatest immoralities, is it a situation to 
be envied 1 Is it not rather a situation to be dreaded and 
shunned by every man who means to conduct himself by the 
principles of religion, and thereby attain eternal happiness 1 
If in this situation a man were at any time mindful of his 
God, or the duty he owes his God, some room then would 
remain to hope for his salvation ; but prosperity leads to an 
entire forgetfulness of God, and the things of God, according 
to St. Paul : " The terrestrial man has no relish for the things 
of God." The terrestrial man is he who places his happiness 
in this world, and finds no comfort but in gratifying his 
passions and sensual appetites with the criminal and unlawful 
pleasures of the world. " I became rich," says the prophet 
Osee, "and found an idol to adore;" the idol of ambition, 
the idol of vanity and pleasure. To this idol is sacrificed every 
thought and desire of eternal happiness; to this idol are 
sacrificed the present consolation of a virtuous mind, and the 
pleasing hopes of future felicity ; to this idol, in a word, is 
sacrificed every sentiment and affection of the soul ; but among 
those profane sacrifices at the shrine of wealth — among the 
evils that prosperity entails, none is more lamentable than the 
apathy it creates in the soul for the things of God ; that in- 
difference for seeing him in his heavenly kingdom ; or the 
possession of any heaven but this world and its base and sordid 
joys. When seldom this idolator in prosperity thinks of God, 
it is not to pay him the just and humble homage of the mind ; 
not to acknowledge his supreme power and goodness by filial 
love and a wilful submission to his divine laws — no ; senti- 
ments of concern only arise, that this life is terminable, and 
the world also perishable, and that both are not to last for 
ever. If ever this idolater in prosperity, I say, thinks of God, 
it is not with the consoling hopes and firm confidence which 
virtue inspires, of sharing for ever in the glory and happiness 
of heaven — no ; it is with all the terrors of a guilty mind, and 



ON PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY. 



377 



the liveliest apprehensions of falling a victim to his wrath in 
the eternal, horrid, devouring flames of hell. 

This dreadful situation is the necessary result of the pros- 
perity of this world. Now, I would ask, what degree of hap- 
piness is attainable in a situation of this kind ? or how far is 
Divine Providence to be arraigned for not placing those that 
are destined to the kingdom of heaven in such dangerous 
situations as must necessarily pervert their minds and corrupt 
their hearts, and thereby disqualify them for the eternal hap- 
piness they were intended for ? Is it not rather the greatest 
blessing that heaven can bestow? We should undoubtedly 
think so were we governed by the principles of religion ; but 
judging as we do, from the false maxims of the flesh, we 
generally think the reverse. Even a Christian is frequently 
seen to repine that Providence does not crown all his under- 
takings with success, and bestow upon him at least a com- 
petent share of the wealth and happiness of this world. Even 
a Christian is known to take offence that Providence should 
suffer the most profligate sinners to enjoy the largest shares of 
the wealth and happiness of this world. Like J ob, he says, 
" Why are the impious suffered to live 1 Why are they raised 
above the crowd 1 Why are they confirmed in the possession 
of their wealth 1 " These murmurs of misery, which stole from 
the lips of a just man, are not becoming a Christian — the 
questions he should ask are : What is this prosperity in the 
eyes of God, which creates so much uneasiness in the mind of 
mail — a blessing or a punishment? Does it lead to eternal 
happiness, or debar us from it % Is it consistent with the exe- 
cution of the divine law, or scarcely consistent therewith ] 
The proper question to ask is, what is the end of this pros- 
perity 1 ? Holy Job answers: "To spend their days in the 
greatest affluence and delight, and afterwards, in the twinkling 
of an eye, to be tumbled into hell." " I have seen the sinner 
raised on high," says the royal prophet, "and placed above 
the loftiest cedars of Libanus; but in a moment he disap- 
peared : I have sought for him, but could not find the least 
trace of the place he occupied." Who could enjoy more 
pleasure in the world than the rich man mentioned in the 
Gospel % He was blessed with a large fortune ; spent his days 
in feasting and delights ; was clothed in the richest attire, and 
lived, in every shape, as become a man of the highest rank and 
distinction : what was the end of all his prosperity 1 " He 
died, and was buried in hell ! " But observe the end of poverty 
and want, sorrows and sufferings — Lazarus, whose sores the 
do<*s had licked, whose extreme want besought a crumb ; he 

2 B 



378 



SERMON XIII. 



also died, and was transported by angels into the bosom of 
Abraham, into the mansions of light, to repose for ever in all 
the joys and glory of heaven ! 

As it appears from what has been said, that the prosperity 
of this world naturally and directly leads to eternal perdition, 
we should not only consider it in this light, at least for the 
time to come, but also rejoice in spirit that the Almighty hath 
been pleased not to place us in such situations as, from their 
nature, and the many strong temptations attendant upon them, 
bear an opposition almost insurmountable to eternal salvation. 
You may, perhaps, inquire, is prosperity inconsistent with 
eternal happiness 1 I answer no ; for some have sanctified 
themselves in the greatest elevation of power and opulence of 
fortune. But these were men who punctually complied with 
the directions of St. Paul, possessing this world as if they 
possessed it not, and using the things of this world as if they 
used them not — who, surrounded with every allurement to 
pleasure, denied themselves constantly, not only every unlaw- 
ful gratification, but frequently the most innocent amusements, 
in order to lower their passions, or copy that self-denial which 
Jesus Christ hath exemplified in his sacred person — men who 
seemed to have appetites only to control, passions to subdue, 
riches to despise or distribute amongst the poor — who, far 
from enjoying any one of the corrupt advantages of fortune, 
made themselves a perpetual sacrifice to the Lord, by perpetual 
austerities, mortifications, and penance. 

In these days of immorality and libertinism, of vice and 
folly, how rare is the Christian of this character, who is sur- 
rounded with prosperity and fortune ! The weakness and 
depravity of human nature, the unresisted influence of seducing 
example, the many strong solicitations to sin which always 
attend the wealthy and prosperous conditions of life, are rea- 
sons why scarce one appears to stem this tide of corruption, 
where thousands are hurried along in its woe-ending torrent. 
Convinced of this truth the Pagan philosophers of old have 
acknowledged it easier to bear up against the heaviest strokes 
of adversity than curb and moderate the licentious sallies of 
intemperate desire amidst the affluence of fortune. Where- 
fore, although it be admitted that prosperity is not utterly 
inconsistent with salvation, it must be allowed on the other 
hand, that it is scarcely consistent therewith; and by a 
necessary consequence, that nothing should appear more 
dreadful in the eyes of a Christian. Notwithstanding the 
evils entailed by prosperity, many are heard to say, with the 
worldling in holy Writ, " Happy the people to whom the 



ON PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY. 



379 



things of this world belong." But, "Ten thousand times 
more happy the people," says the royal prophet, " who make 
the Lord their God." For the enemies of the Lord, after 
being raised to the highest honours, and exalted above the 
crowd, shall suddenly fall and disappear, like smoke that flies 
before the wind, and vanishes into the air. If this be the 
dreadful fate of all those that prosper in this life, had I not a 
just right to say from the beginning, that the prosperity of 
sinners is one of the greatest punishments the Almighty can 
inflict ; as, on the other hand, the sufferings of the just are 
amongst the greatest blessings he can bestow — a truth I shall 
endeavour to make clear in the second part of this discourse. 

Second — That sufferings and affliction are among the 
greatest blessings Almighty God can confer upon the chosen 
children of Adam here below, I intend to prove on these 
grounds, that thereby daily and constant opportunities occur 
— first, of proving their fidelity and constancy ; second, of 
securing their salvation, by screening them from the most 
imminent dangers of the world ; and third, of increasing, by 
additional degrees of virtue and godliness, the immortal 
crowns of glory he reserves for them in the life to come. All 
these blessings flow as a necessary consequence of that obscu- 
rity and affliction wherein the just, under the direction of 
Divine Providence, are seen to live for the most part upon 
earth. 

It requires little argument to show that tribulation is that 
point wherein the fidelity and constancy of a just man appear 
in their brightest colours — such colours as leave no room for 
doubt or suspicion. It is requisite for the honour and glory of 
God to manifest unto the world that he is, and will be, served 
to the end of time by a chosen few, in spirit and truth, not- 
withstanding the opposing power of temptation, weakness, and 
seduction. As a scene of this kind must necessarily reflect 
the greatest honour upon the Divinity, he takes pleasure in 
displaying it from time to time before the eyes of mankind ; 
and this scene, which honours God, delights his angels, and 
edifies the world — this scene, I say, is the just man in the 
deepest affliction. It is easy to serve God in the calm and 
serene seasons of life, when neither difficulties, nor losses, nor 
crosses interrupt the agreeable progression of our desire ; but 
to continue faithful under the Tieavy pressure of bitter cala- 
mity — this is the effect of a most lively faith, an animated 
hope, an unshaken constancy ! These virtues, to appear in 
their brightest lustre, appear in the just man under severe 
trial : for if under the hardest circumstances a man shall not 



380 



SERMON XIII. 



depart in the least from the laws of God, there can be no 
doubt of his faith, his firm hope, or of his obedience and 
fidelity to God. My meaning is, that a man who remains 
firm and unshaken amidst the most violent storms of tempta- 
tion, loves God above all things, and prefers him before all 
things ; which is the greatest honour the Supreme Being can 
receive at our hands. To declare publicly at any time for the 
service of God and the obedience due from his rational crea- 
tures, is indeed glorious to the Divinity ; but how far are 
these declarations to be depended on ] Vain, in general, and 
empty like air, they pass away forgotten and unnoticed. 
Hence are frequently seen such declarations violated the very 
instant they are made. 

It is not, therefore, such vain and empty declarations of 
fidelity — declarations that consist barely in words, that honour 
and glorify the Divinity — no; but declarations grounded on 
action, declarations verified by the nicest trials of suffering 
and tribulation. On these grounds alone Almighty God seems 
to exult and triumph at the fidelity of a good man, labouring, 
but never sinking under the heaviest calamities of life. On 
this occasion observe the proud words of the Lord to the Spirit 
before his throne : " Hast thou seen my servant Job ]" not as 
formerly, surrounded with honours and all the affluence of 
fortune, lifting up his righteous hands in thanksgiving to 
heaven — for bare thanksgiving requires no generous effort of 
the soul — but stretched upon a heap of mire, a prey to the 
most acute disorders, abandoned by his friends, destitute of 
every consolation but that of a virtuous mind, yet religiously 
submissive under this deluge of misfortunes, and blessing the 
divine hand that struck him. " Hast thou seen my servant 
Job T There is a sight worthy the attention of the whole 
world, pleasing to heaven, glorious and honourable to the 
Divinity, since it exhibits the most unquestionable proofs of 
true and unfeigned virtue. 

In this light we should consider every just man amidst his 
sufferings upon earth : we should look upon him as the chief 
instrument of the glory of God ; and if any of you, my breth- 
ren, have the happiness of being, by tribulation of any kind, 
suffering members of Jesus Christ, rejoice in spirit ; for while 
you suffer without departing from your fidelity to God, you 
certainly glorify him more thereby than you could in any other 
shape whatsoever ; and in return, Almighty God will hereafter 
glorify you in heaven. Suffering with a spirit of religion is 
the martyrdom of the mind — a martyrdom the more glorious 
as it lasts the longer. Confessing our faith and sealing it with 



ON PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY. 



381 



our blood, is the greatest glory the Divinity can receive at our 
hands, according to the words of Jesus Christ : " ~No man can 
have greater love than he that lays down his life." Next to 
this comes that perpetual testimony of our faith which results 
from a long series of sufferings borne with fidelity, patience, 
and love. Let us no longer admire that divine Providence is 
constantly pleased to afflict the just, or suffer them to be con- 
stantly afflicted by others : in this he seeks and finds the 
manifestation of his glory — and who is the man that would 
not deem it a happiness to be instrumental in the manifestation 
of the glory of God 1 If Almighty God does not call others to 
the same trials, it is because they are not worthy of him — the 
base metal is rejected by the skilful workman, whilst the gold 
is thrown into the furnace, to be refined and purified until it 
becomes proper for the curious and elaborate performances of 
art. 

It is not his glory alone that Almighty God has in view in 
the afflictions of the just, but likewise their own particular 
interest and advantage, by securing their salvation. This 
security arises from the absence of temptation — for tribulations, 
like sentinels, form the lifeguard of the soul, by preserving it 
in justice and righteousness to the last moment of life. As 
nothing is more capable of making us forgetful of our duty 
towards God than the happiness of this world, so nothing can 
more effectually keep us united to God than the afflictions of 
this world ; because in a situation of this kind we live at a 
distance from all the temptations attending the high and 
wealthy conditions of life. " While the just are afflicted, 
sinners are allowed to prosper," Tertullian says, " that they 
may serve, like so many fatted victims, to glut the devouring 
wrath of heaven, and satisfy the unappeasable justice of the 
Lord, during the unbounded length of eternity." Hard, or 
even narrow circumstances, preserve us from the criminal abuse 
of wealth ; humiliation, from the extravagance of towering 
pride ; inability, from the unjust and daring projects of ambi- 
tion ; sickness and infirmity, from the excesses of licentious- 
ness and dissoluteness. Draw a just man from the state of 
obscurity and affliction wherein he glorifies God by his patience, 
his sufferings, his humility, and resignation, and place him 
amidst comforts and delights, he will soon forget his Almighty 
Father, so far as to act in open violation of his holy laws : the 
incense he constantly directed to the throne of God in his 
obscurity, will now be directed elsewhere, and offered to some 
mortal creature he adores. 

The unhappy Jews afford a melancholy instance of this 



382 



SERMON XIII. 



observation, who, after their deliverance from the slavery of 
Egypt, gave the strongest proofs of their infidelity and ob- 
stinacy. " In the very desert, after being fatted with the 
blessings of God, they murmured aloud, and openly rebelled 
against heaven and the Lord." This is, my brethren, the 
great mystery of divine Providence with regard to the afflic- 
tions of the just : as the Almighty foresees they would certainly 
abandon the ways of justice in any other situation, he merci- 
fully keeps them in that state wherein they, by a happy 
necessity, must remain faithful unto God. At present, I con- 
fess, we can hardly conceive these sublime truths from the 
darkness of our understandings, or the perverseness of our 
nature ; but in the great day of revelation, when the mysterious 
ways of Providence shall be unfolded, we shall see the many 
enormities and excesses we would run into, if the Almighty, 
mercifully severe, had not prevented it, by continual affliction. 
Then we shall see, that our perdition had been unavoidable 
in any other system of Providence than that of affliction; 
and upon seeing it, we shall bless the Lord, who, by a whole- 
some severity, removed us at the greatest distance from sin. 
and thereby, as it were, led us by the hand in the ways of eternal 
happiness. But the views of God are not confined to the 
manifestation of his glory in the sufferings of the righteous 
upon earth, nor barely to secure their salvation ; he goes further, 
and allows the just to draw from their sufferings an additional 
increase to that glory which awaits j.them in the kingdom of 
heaven. 

The kingdom of heaven is a reward — " the reward of those," 
St. Paul says, " that combat and conquer." The more victories 
we obtain over the enemies of our salvation, the greater re- 
wards we become entitled to. But no man can be crowned 
that has not conquered, nor conquer that has not fought \ 
therefore it is necessary, in the ways of Providence, that the 
just, for whom the rewards of heaven are destined, should be put 
to frequent and critical trials. Sinners are suffered to live in 
profound peace ; why so 1 because the rewards are not destined 
for them, nor, consequently, the trials that are necessary for 
obtaining those rewards. But the just are afflicted, constantly 
afflicted ; because, as the Spirit of Truth says by the mouth 
of St. Paul, " Every stone which is to enter into and make up 
a part of the structure of the heavenly Sion, must be hewn 
without the city f that is, prepared and fitted by affliction 
upon earth, to occupy a place in the kingdom of heaven. 
Hence we may justly infer, what the wisdom of the flesh may 
look upon as a misfortune to the just, is in reality the greatest 



ON PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY. 



383 



blessing heaven can bestow ; every hardship they endure is an 
addition to the glory that is reserved for them in the kingdom 
of God ; the more unhappy they are in this life the greater 
felicity they are to enjoy in the life to come. Nor is the 
moment of enjoyment deferred to any distance of time : " a 
few moments " — all you, my brethren, who are distressed, 
afflicted, or oppressed, listen to the words of your Saviour, and 
let them bring comfort to your souls — " A few moments, and 
you shall see me : then I will come, and your hearts shall re- 
joice ; and your joy shall be full." At this happy period, the 
just who had been often insulted upon earth by the sinner, 
shall ask him : " Where are now the gods in whom you place 
your confidence ; where your wealth and prosperity ; your 
fleeting, empty joys, and short-lived vanities? Your dreams 
of happiness are over. Your sun of life is set ; impenetrable 
darkness surrounds you, and eternal perdition is your lot ; " 
whilst inexpressible, interminable felicity succeeds all the 
afflictions of the just upon earth. 

Is not this enough, my brethren, to justify the mysterious 
ways of Providence with regard to the good and the wicked 
upon earth 1 Doth it not appear, that permitting sinners to 
thrive and prosper in the world ; never disturbing them amidst 
their guilty joys ; abandoning them to their passions and the 
corruption of their own desires ; leaving them in a state of 
elevation that swells the heart — of splendour that bewilders, 
and magnificence that dazzles, the mind — of fortune and 
affluence that excite and gratify the most criminal appetites ; 
are all strokes of severity and the most rigorous justice that 
God can exert during this life, as it leads to final impenitence, 
which ends in everlasting ruin % On the contrary, doth it not 
appear, likewise, that trying the fidelity of the just by afflic- 
tion j keeping them in a state of justice by removing the 
strongest incitements to sin ; and giving them frequent 
opportunities of heaping merits upon merits, and thereby 
enlarging in a high degree the sphere of their future happiness 
— are all proofs of the most generous love and unerring 
wisdom 1 ? Y"ou are, therefore, bound humbly to adore the 
ways of Providence upon earth. Astonishing as they may be, 
they are the dictates of unerring Truth, incomprehensible 
Wisdom, unbounded Goodness. If heaven afflicts here, it is 
either to draw us to repentance, or maintain us in j ustice to 
the end. Let us therefore say, with King David ; " In thee, 
Lord, I have hoped, let me never be confounded." Treat 
me as thou art pleased in this life, I shall always be resigned 
to thy holy will. To thee is best known, my Father, my 



384 



SERMON XIV, 



Redeemer, my God and my All, what is most conducive to my 
salvation — riches or poverty, elevation or obscurity, health or 
infirmity, distinction or disgrace ; whatever thou shalt decree, 
that I accept with reverence and submission. I only beg thy 
grace to comply with thy holy will, that after glorifying thee 
upon earth, amidst the various tribulations of life, I may 
at length glorify thee for ever in thy heavenly kingdom. 
Amen. 



SERMON XIY. 

OX DEATH. 

"If any one will keep my word, he shall not die for ever." 

St. John, c. viii., v. 51. 

What is meant by death in the words of the apostle, is 
eternal death, or perdition. As for natural death, or the 
dissolution of our bodies, no man is exempted from it; be- 
cause, being all sinners, we all must die : for " death," as St. 
Paul declares, "is the wages of sin;" and "it is by sin death 
entered into the world." Death therefore was a part of the 
punishment inflicted upon our first parent, for his disobedience 
to the laws of God in Paradise ; and we, by inheritance, be- 
come liable to the guilt of that disobedience, and to its 
punishment — Death. Man, originally formed by God, was a 
perfect being, intelligent, immortal, and full of wisdom. But 
these sublime privileges have been in a great measure lost by 
his transgression. That intelligence which assimilated him to 
the angels is unknown ; his immortality cut short by death : 
and the wisdom or understanding that dignified and raised 
him beyond all the works of the creation, is now most 
miserably darkened and obscured. Of all the evils entailed 
on mankind by the unhappy fall of Adam, none is so deplor- 
able as death. Death, the punishment of sin, consists of two 
parts — temporal death, or the separation of the soul and body; 
eternal death, or the death of the damned : the one is common 
to all, the other to sinners only. 

But it is in our power, as St. Austin ingeniously remarks, 
to convert this poison into a remedy, and make that which is 
the privation of mortal life, the very source of everlasting life 
— How so 1 Because the consideration of death, as this holy 
father observes, is, by the most wonderful providence of God, 
one of the most powerful preservatives against sin, which is 
the very cause, not only of natural, but also eternal death and 
perdition. The word death, I know, has a very disagreeable 



ON DEATH. 



385 



sound to many of the Christians of our days — but much more 
disagreeable is a serious consideration of so dreadful a subject. 
~No subject, however, involves greater truths or more awful 
consequences ; none more capable of humbling the pride of 
man — the fertile source of most of his disorders; and, of 
course, none more likely to awaken your attention, from the 
interest you all must necessarily feel in the consideration of a 
terrible scene, which will come to the lot of each of you indi- 
vidually one day to undergo. The proper consideration of 
death now, by rooting up the disorders of the soul, may 
prevent the evils that generally attend it : for, let me ask you, 
what are the usual and most powerful sources of the perdition 
of mankind 1 Are they not the love of this world, and a total 
neglect of the things of God 1 Now, the consideration of death 
destroys, in some measure, the entire influence of these two 
fruitful principles of evil ; because, 

First, It naturally disengages our souls from the love of 
this world ; and, 

Secondly, It naturally bends our thoughts upon heavenly 
things. 

Thus by dying spiritually to the world, and uniting our- 
selves to God, we guard against the terrors of a temporal death 
here, and against the evils of eternal death hereafter. 

First — What principally engages the minds and hearts of 
men, and inspires them with that love of the world, which St. 
John declares to be inconsistent with the love of God, and 
consequently with salvation, is, as the apostle says, the 
concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the 
eyes. The first makes us slaves to our pleasures — the 
second fills us with strong desires of elevation and riches. 
The mutual influence and concurrence of these two different 
passions, never fail to make us quite terrestrial • unless they 
be carefully repressed and confined within the just bounds of 
moderation, by the principles of religion, whereof the con- 
sideration of death is undoubtedly the most effectual : for 
here we have the vanity of all the pursuits of life painted in 
the strongest colours — here we read, in the plainest characters, 
how great the folly is to place our affections in any thing- 
perishable, so as to neglect the solid advantages of ever- 
lasting happiness. It is not necessary, I hope, to tell you, 
that you all must die — this is a truth which needs no proof 
or confirmation, as daily experience is sufficient to remove 
any doubt on the subject. Our great ancestors have lived, 
and they died— generation after generation, like billows on 
the ocean, have successively followed them, and pointed out 



386 



SERMON XIV. 



the way we are ourselves shortly to follow, unto the grave. 
The renowned men of old ; the mighty conquerors of the 
world, who shook the earth with their power, the Alexanders 
and Caesars, have sustained the stroke of death ; because they 
could not avoid the blow, and passed away like the meanest 
of their subjects, forsaken by their power, their grandeur, 
their honours, their wealth, and their friends. O death, how 
bitter is thy approach to the worldly man and sinner ! And 
the worldly man and sinner shall feel its blow; because St. 
Paul says, " it is decreed that every man shall die : " so that 
our whole life is no more, properly speaking, than one con- 
tinual progression towards death. If death, then, be the 
infallible lot of all ; if the time, the manner, the place, be all 
wrapt up in mystery ; if it be the door that infallibly leads to 
happiness or misery \ if it be the gate of eternity ; it behoves 
you all, my brethren, to dwell frequently on the consideration 
of death, and to draw therefrom such conclusions as must 
necessarily tend to the reformation of your lives ', as the Holy 
Ghost declares : "If you remember your last things you will 
never sin." 

For this purpose let us fancy ourselves for a few moments 
in one of these awful, silent places, which custom and religion 
have consecrated to the interment of the dead. Stop at the 
first grave — behold and examine the scene it exhibits to view. 
This undecorated, humid sod contains the remains of some 
humble peasant, who lately lived, as we do ; whose ashes are 
now trodden under foot by the thoughtless passenger, as ours 
will shortly be. But behold yonder shrine, the costly monu- 
ment of conjugal affection or filial piety. The strong and 
beautiful casements of that venerable pile were surely formed 
to remove horror from death, and corruption from human 
nature. Examine farther, and you behold double coffins, with 
gaudy trappings ; but inside, stench, corruption, a little earth, 
and some bones. Should you inquire whose remains are 
those 1 ? If time has spared the monumental inscription, con- 
sult the stone, for he is forgotten by the world. And is this 
the end of all — the exalted and the humble, the great and the 
small, the rich and the poor, the king and the beggar] Is 
this the end of all the pleasures and joys of life 1 Yes, and 
of its sufferings. Is this the end of all the wealth and honours 
of this life? Yes, and of its poverty and humiliations. In 
the grave all ranks meet, all enmities cease, all discontents 
are forgotten and buried. As we all came one way into the 
world, so we must all leave it one way, and that is death. 
Death, then, is that point which, during the existence of 



ON DEATH. 



387 



mortality, will always afford the most solid grounds for instruc- 
tion : for what you have seen the grave exhibit in your view, 
your grave will, in turn, exhibit to the view and contemplation 
of future generations. 

This consideration alone should be sufficient to remove, or 
at least lesson the excessive love we all bear ourselves ; because 
this self-love, which becomes inordinate by excess, is the usual 
source of most of our disorders and transgressions. Madam 
or Miss are of so tender a frame, so delicate a complexion, 
that coarse or ordinary modes of living do not agree with her ; 
she can neither fast nor abstain, nor practice anything that 
may approach that abnegation and self-denial which Jesus 
Christ enjoined on all his followers. The Squire, with his 
cumbersome load of flesh, can neither put nor keep himself in 
an humble posture, even in presence of the Lord : he thinks 
it a great deal, if, during our holy mysteries, he bends the 
knee at the Elevation alone ; but afterwards he must either 
sit or stand, lest by an exterior act of humility and reverential 
respect, he might incommode his unmortified corpulence. 
But why all this care and attention, this excessive delicacy 
and anxiety for ease 1 Do you consider that the body you 
are now so fond of, will, notwithstanding all your care and 
attention, shortly rot, and moulder into dust 1 If this be 
true — and that it is, all nature speaks aloud — is it not the 
height of folly, and a violation of ^every principle of reason, to 
gratify and indulge that body at the expense of your soul 1 
However great this folly, still it is, by sad experience, seen, 
that a fatal propensity to indulge this heap of clay, which 
must shortly fall in pieces, is one of the most prevailing dis- 
orders among the Christians of our clays. Consult the bills 
of mortality, and see how many daily meet death by the 
unlawful gratification of sense, by drunkenness, sensuality, 
and debauchery. Victims to those pleasures that draw death, 
with its horrors, in their train, many, alas ! very many have 
passed away. Take you warning by them. The horrors of 
death avoid, by avoiding the deceitful pleasures of life, and 
squaring your lives by a Christian life of mortification. For 
should pleasure even last through life, the life of man is short 
— " a vapour that passeth quickly," as Job says ; and when 
death comes, you will possess neither sentiment nor capacity 
for pleasure : then, as David says, " you will have eyes, and see 
not j ears, and hear not ; outward sense, but incapable of 
action." Death will put an end to all the objects that once 
proved so pleasing to your minds — amusing shows, harmonious 
concerts, nice and elegant entertainments, every source of 



388 



SERMON XIV. 



pleasure, in a word, is to be exhausted and dried up in the 
grave. Why, then, will you sacrifice the inconceivable, ever- 
lasting joys of heaven, which our good God has placed within 
your reach, for the empty gratification of sense, which perishes 
in the grave 1 Begin now, and resolve henceforth to subdue 
all the unlawful propensities of sense, as you value your salva- 
tion ; because death approaches fast to you and to rne, with 
sure and speedy steps ; and when he comes, as you have seen, 
his first stroke will be to tear us away from all that is pleasing 
and comfortable in life ; the next is to strip us of all the riches 
and wealth of this world. 

What is meant by the concupiscence of the eyes as laid down 
by the apostle, is that unsatisfied avarice which reigns so 
universally in the world — that strong and unbounded thirst 
after riches which seems to extend to all ranks, to animate and 
influence every individual. This avarice, or insatiable desire 
of riches, is " one of the fiery chains" mentioned by St. Jude, 
whereby numbers of souls are daily dragged down into the 
bottomless gulf of hell. " Those who have a mind to become 
rich," St. Paul says, " never fail to fall into the snares of the 
devil." How, then, shall we be able to govern and moderate 
this headstrong and dangerous impulse of our corrupt nature 1 
By reflecting seriously upon death ; by considering, that all 
the wealth you have purchased with so much anxiety, seek 
for with so much pains, or that you daily labour for with so 
much solicitude and care, will soon disappear, and leave you 
centred in the most deplorable indigence. Examine the 
situation of the most wealthy man the moment he dies — what 
becomes of all his opulence, his connexions, his attendants, his 
domains, lands, and possessions 1 Caressed, looked up to, and 
obsequiously obeyed when living — when dead he is forsaken 
by all. Not surely by his wife, his children? By all, alas ! 
forsaken and loathed — hurried off into the grave, this man of 
wealth, of lands, and domains, possesses now no more than six 
feet of earth — the possessions lent him by the Lord, which he 
thought his owu, are now passed into other hands, and the 
cold, comfortless coffin is his only possession. " His dwelling," 
holy Job says, " is now the grave ; his friends, corruption ; his 
attendants, the worms ; and his inheritance, a small, a very 
small portion of cold, uncomfortable clay." 

O cruel death ! is it thus you deprive us of all we possess ? 
Is it thus you treat this honourable man, who, by amassing 
great wealth in the East or West Indies, in the remote regions 
of the earth, acquires rank and reposes under his fig-tree with 
luxurious ease % It is — for bend he must under the stroke of 



ON DEATH. 



389 



death, and forsake all the blooming fruits of his labours ; be- 
cause, "as he came naked into the world, so he has gone 
out of the world naked and destitute of all things," St. Paul 
says. No, it is not so : his sins accompany him. The sins he 
committed by too great an attachment to the riches of this 
world ; the sins he committed by the unfair, dishonest, and 
fraudulent steps he took to procure or increase those riches ; 
the sins he committed in defrauding the poor of the share 
they were entitled to in the riches he had acquired ; all these 
sins have followed him from his death-bed to the judgment- 
seat of God, and from the judgment-seat of God to 
the deep abyss of hell ! "-The rich man died," says 
Jesus Christ in the Gospel, " and the moment he died 
was buried in hell — but Lazarus, who had lived in the great- 
est misery and want, was transported the moment he died 
into the bosom of Abraham :" that is, into a place of eternal 
rest and felicity. What, then, thou worldly and unsatisfied 
man, what art thou labouring fori For riches, which must 
shortly, perhaps in a few minutes, pass away from thy hands '? 
For riches, which, in all appearance, will bring about thy 
eternal ruin, as they did to Dives 1 " Fool that thou art," 
says Christ our Lord, " to whom will those riches belong T 
For whom art thou amassing 1 for a family 1 A. decent pro- 
vision is commendable; too much is censurable ; anxiety is 
criminal. But where no family calls, where nature has but 
slender ties, how great the folly of all irregular attachment to 
the wealth and pomp of life ! Because this very night, perhaps, 
thou art to die. This very night, perhaps, thou art to be 
brought to an account for thy soul, and still thou dost dream 
by day, as well as by night, of nothing but riches, which death 
shall shortly strip thee of. Was ever folly greater, (and yet 
the folly is daily ^seen), than this anxiety, this desire, this 
attachment to riches ! Henceforward begin, by disengaging 
your hearts from all inordinate attachment to, and by a 
Christian use of the riches committed to your care, " to lay 
up treasures in heaven," as our Saviour desires you, which 
nothing shall deprive you of ; " such treasures as no insect 
can corrode, no rust consume, nor any length of time reduce 
into dust." What death will shortly do, without any merit 
to yourselves, do you now, by which you will produce an 
eternal weight of glory hereafter. Disengage your hearts from 
the riches of life. Make the proper use of them — first, by 
attending to domestic necessities — and, secondly, by attending- 
to the necessities of the poor. Cover the naked, relieve the 
oppressed, cheer the heart-broken, give food to the hungry. 



390 



SERMON XIV. 



Remove sorrow from the bed of woe by your timely visit, and 
gladden the dreary hamlet by seasonable aid. The young ones 
shall lift up their innocent hands to bless you ; and the in- 
vocations of feeble infirmity shall pierce the heavens, and 
draw down its choicest blessing on your heads. Disengage 
your hearts, I say, from the attachment to the riches of life ; 
because they are not only perishable and of short continuance, 
but likewise because they are the usual sources of eternal 
perdition. The day will come when what we are now consider- 
ing in speculation will come to pass in reality. Unless the 
vengeance of God should seize you by a sudden death, the day 
will shortly come when you will be told : " You would do 
well to settle your affairs, as the end of your life is approach- 
ing." 

What awful sentiments will not then fill you at that dread- 
ful hour ; what grief and anxiety ; how disturbed and agitated 
the soul ! Then you will believe and feel what I now tell 
you, that you shall be for ever separated from everything you 
held most valuable upon earth — husband, wife, family, friends, 
possessions — all, all must pass away like a dream ! What 
support or consolation will the world or its riches afford the 
sinner on the approach of death ? What reflections occupy 
the mind from past joys or future prospects 1 All the joys of 
life appear clearly to him what the wisest of men truly called 
them — " vanity of vanities and terror seizes him on looking 
towards the other life — for there he beholds an angry, a just, 
and inexorable God, prepared to take revenge for the multi- 
plied sins of a long life — against him heaven is closed, and 
hell opens under him with its eternity of torments ! Reason, 
then, as well as religion, require of you to consider death now, 
as the sinner shall on his death-bed. By thus learning to die, 
you will disengage your hearts from all inordinate attachment 
to this perishable, deceitful world. Then you will learn " to 
use this world," as St. Paul styles it, " as if you used it not," 
because you will plainly see that " this whole world is no 
more," as the same apostle says, " than a figure which passeth 
away." Besides this great advantage arising from the con- 
sideration of death, another of no less consequence presents 
itself to our consideration, as thereby our thoughts are 
naturally bent upon heavenly things, as will be laid before 
you in the following part of this discourse. 

Second' — It is not enough to disengage our hearts and wean 
our affections from the pleasures and riches of this life, be- 
cause philosophy alone may lead so far ; as you see from 
history, where the sages of antiquity divested themselves of 



ON DEATH. 



391 



all they possessed, in order to deliver themselves from all the 
solicitudes and cares of this world, and enjoy tranquillity and 
peace of mind — something more is requisite in a Christian. 
He is not only bound to make the possession of riches, which 
give him a command of the pleasures of this life, instrumental 
to his salvation by denying himself of these and using those, 
as I have already spoken of — he is moreover bound to look on 
this world with indifference, as having no permanent dwelling 
therein, and to level all his endeavours at the kingdom of 
heaven, as being the place of his destination, the end of his 
mortal course, and which consequently should be the only, at 
least the principal object of all his thoughts. The considera- 
tion of death most effectually inspires a resolution of this 
kind : because on death depends eternal happiness or misery. 
If we die well, our happiness is secured for ever ; if we die ill, 
misery for ever follows. The moment we die, that moment 
we are brought to the tribunal of God, according to St. Paul 
— " After death, judgment ; " and according to the sentence 
then pronounced, our lot is decided for ever and ever. 

This awful sentence is what makes death so terrible to 
every thinking man. Not the loss of life, not the privation 
of the pleasures or the riches of life, that shakes the souls and 
fills them with dreadful apprehensions. No ; were the stroke 
confined to these alone, thousands of persons would be resolute 
enough to look death sternly in the face, smile at its approach, 
and triumph in the agony. But what makes death terrible 
to the most resolute is the consequence that immediately 
follows the decision of our fate during the immeasurable length 
of eternity. O eternity ! whose boundaries nor man nor angel 
can calculate nor comprehend. Eternity ! thou awful, dreadful 
sound ; thou art united to death as the shadow to the sub- 
stance ! In this light should death be considered. But from 
a fatal insensibility we possess, few take the trouble of viewing 
death in the strong connexion it has with our eternal happiness 
or misery. Do not most people look on it as heathens do, 
merely as the end of time, the last period of mortal life 1 But 
look you, my brethren, a little farther ; stretch your thoughts 
and reflections one step beyond the grave, and seriously con- 
sider the situation of a man the moment he expires, with 
regard to eternity. The man of wealth and distinction is 
seized by a mortal distemper which baffles all aid, and death 
approaches fast. Occupied with the cares of wealth, for 
wealth engenders care, he had but little leisure to look towards 
the grave, or reflect when his ashes lay there where his 
immortal soul would lie. His disorder now grows violent — 



392 



SERMON XIV. 



dissolution advances. The whole house in an uproar — con- 
sternation in every countenance : a wife in tears ; children in 
affliction ; and the last moment of life expected by all with 
trouble and concern. The great debt of life at length is paid, 
and death has seized his prey. Amidst this shock of nature, 
what occurs to me, and should to every Christian mind, is to 
ask, with holy Job : " What is become of him after death % " 
Stretched and decorated lies the body before our eyes, but 

where is the soul'? In heaven or 1 Did he die in 

favour or disgrace with heaven'? — a mystery ; and as such con- 
cealed from human knowledge ; thou, my God ! thou alone 
knowest. The funeral pomp is prepared. Distinguished 
friends are called on to pay the last sad debt to the deceased ; 
crowds of people attend ; and the bier is borne in silent 
solemnity to the grave. The ministers of Christ assemble to 
put up their supplications to heaven, and implore Almighty 
God to look down upon him in his infinite mercy. Nothing, 
in short, is omitted that decency and religion prescribe. But 
where is the soul all this time % Has he died in the arms of 
his Redeemer, or under the empire of Satan — entitled to the 
joys of heaven above, or the torments of hell below 1 One 
thing is certain, that he was judged the moment he died, and 
his fate in consequence determined for eternal happiness or 
everlasting misery so long as God is God ! 

What has happened to him under the justice of God, for 
you it is not necessary to know; but extremely necessary 
it is to reflect, that what has happened to him, with regard 
to the circumstance of death, and with regard to the un- 
certain, dreadful events that will immediately follow, must 
shortly come home to every one of you individually to undergo. 
You all must die, and the sentence of mercy or eternal 
reprobation will instantly follow. You know not, nor can you 
know, when this shall come to pass : whether soon or late ; in 
a year, month, day, hour, or the next moment ; at rest or in 
action ; in health or sickness ; in grace or sin. You know that 
die you must, and the moment after shall decide your lot for 
eternity. Eternity ! what terrors encompass thee on every 
side 1 Every motive that can arise from religion or reason 
loudly call on us now to prepare for that great, critical, and 
tremendous moment of death, since our eternal happiness or 
misery depends thereon ! This preparation consists in leading 
a just, good, and Christian life; because people generally die 
as they live — those that lead the life of sinners, commonly die 
the death of sinners ; and those who lead a just and virtuous 
life, commonly die ihe death of the just and virtuous. The 



ON DEA.TH. 



393 



Spirit of God says so, in clear terms, in the Book of 
Wisdom : "It shall be well with the man that fears God 
at the last hour; and he shall be blessed in his death." 
Again : " Woe be unto you that have abandoned the law 
of God • when you die, your inheritance shall be the greatest 
malediction." 

I do admit that Almighty God may, and sometimes does, 
rescue the greatest sinners from the very claws of death, and 
puts them in possession of eternal happiness, in order to dis- 
play the inexhaustible riches of his power and mercy ; but 
these are extraordinary strokes of a most signal Providence, 
miracles of grace, as divines say, which are not to be hoped for 
or depended on. As in the course of nature the constant 
vicissitude of seasons, and the harmony of the component 
parts of matter, beautifully display the regular progression of 
consequence from cause ; so, likewise, in the course of Divine 
Providence with regard to the salvation of man, is constantly 
and invariably seen a regular progression from a good life to a 
happy death — the good liver generally dying in the embracers 
of the Lord ; the bad liver, on the other hand, under the 
empire of sin. If, therefore, you mean sincerely to finish your 
days in peace with God ; if you value that reward which is 
prepared for you above, which certainly is valuable beyond 
comparison, beyond comprehension, you must spend your days 
in the service of God — and if you have led a wicked life 
hitherto, if drunkenness, or cursing, or lewdness, or robbery — 
if any of those crimes which disgrace human nature, raise 
doubts of forgiveness in your way, repel this attack of your 
infernal enemy ; call upon Christ, and Christ will hear you ; 
call upon him with sorrow for your past sins, and the blood 
he spilled on Calvary shall blot them out ; but call imme- 
diately — this day, this hour ; lest death may seize you. Peturn 
to the ways of virtue and godliness, which Jesus Christ hath 
pointed out as the only road to eternal happiness : whoever 
treads in any other most certainly follows the path that leads 
to eternal perdition. 

Although it is generally true that a good life is the sure 
forerunner of a happy death, yet it is advisable to prepare for 
that death by specifically appropriating certain seasons in 
the year — one day, for instance, in every month, to think 
seriously of our death, and put ourselves in the posture of 
mind we would willingly die and appear in before Almighty 
God. On such occasions, should you fancy yourselves stretched 
upon your deathbed, attended by your ghostly father, sur- 
rounded by your mourning friends, on the point of breathing 

2 c 



394 



SERMON XIV. 



your last, and appearing before the Judge of the living and 
the dead, ask yourselves, then, these important questions : 
" What now weighs heaviest on my conscience 1 Were I to 
die this moment, does my conscience suggest nothing capable 
of debarring me from heaven, and driving me to hell % Could 
I appear with any safety before the dreadful God of terror, in 
the situation I am now in % Considering the principles I have 
adopted, the practices I have pursued, the friendships I have 
entertained, the society I have frequented — considering, in a 
word, all the iniquity I have committed, it is plain no chance 
of life, but eternal death, must be my lot, were I now called 
off. The many doubts, besides, which heretofore I have passed 
by, in the varied course of life, strike me now with dread — cir- 
cumvention, deception, extortion, and imposition, have marked 
my dealings ; the cursed thirst of gain has induced me to buy 
a valuable consideration for half value, by taking advantage 
of iny neighbour's distress ; strict justice has not been my 
leading principle ; where doubts occurred, I trampled on 
doubts ; I stifled conscience on false principles, erroneous 
grounds : will that now excuse me T No, certainly : as all 
divines agree that an erroneous conscience, that is, a conscience 
formed on erroneous principles, principles entertained and 
fomented by the passions, does not excuse from sin those who 
follow its directions, it follows, in cases like this, that every 
man should carefully examine whether, at the hour of death, 
he will not scruple any of those things. The most intelligent 
pastors of the church, those whom God has appointed your 
instructors, should be consulted in all cases of doubt, whether 
these practices are sinful in themselves ; whether they 
should not be scrupled, and not only scrupled, but for ever 
laid aside. Did people act in this manner; did they once 
a month seriously reflect on death as I have pointed out ; did 
they clear up every doubt, examine every difficulty relating 
to their conduct ; in a word, did they establish themselves in 
the principles and dispositions they would willingly die in, 
what a change in morals and conduct must necessarily ensue ! 
How many oppressive bargains would be rescinded, necessary 
restitutions made, exorbitant charges reduced and brought 
down to the standard of justice and equity ! How many frau- 
dulent and dishonest practices would be laid aside, erroneous 
and sinful principles changed and rectified ! But because 
people seldom think on death until death comes, every arrange- 
ment of conscience is put off to the last hour : the recollection 
then of a long life of iniquity is such as to render it extremely 
difficult, if not impossible, to remove ; wherefore they seldom 



ON DEATH. 



395 



fail to die as they lived — guilty transgressors of the law, in 
disgrace with God, and victims to his anger. 

The difficulty of clearing up, at the hour of death, the con- 
science of one who has lived twenty, thirty, forty years in the 
world, according to the maxims of the world, is great indeed. 
Then it frequently appears that many injustices are to be re- 
paired, many wrongs redressed, many malignant insinuations 
recalled, and many calumnies retracted, which before were 
scarce thought of. To a knowing and skilful clergyman then 
it appears that all his past confessions and communions were 
so many sacrileges ; either for want of due preparation, sincere 
compunction, or an effectual resolution of amendment : for all 
sound divines agree that where the habit of sin is continued 
after many repeated confessions, there could be no real sorrow, 
no real purpose, no effectual resolution of amendment, and by 
consequence, that every confession and communion became 
a horrid profanation of the body and blood of Christ ! Never- 
theless, it is absolutely necessary to repair all this at the last 
hour. But how is it possible to do all this in a few moments 
when the dying person is oppressed with the weight and 
malignity of his disorder, distracted by the sorrows of those 
who surround him, terrified at the approach of eternity, and 
driven almost to desperation from the consciousness of his 
guilt and the impending judgments of the Lord ? Difficult, I 
acknowledge, it is ; but the mighty hand of the Lord may and 
can accomplish it. The greatness of the difficulty clearly 
points out the necessity of preparing for death in the full 
possession of health and reason. Lead the life of true servants 
of J esus Christ. Repair, by your future conduct, the scandals 
of your past life. Do now what you would wish to have done 
when death approaches. Life is short: I exhort you there- 
fore most earnestly, in the words of Jesus Christ : "Be always 
on the watch, because you know net the day nor the hour." 
Every morning reflect that perhaps this day may be your last; 
that this day your death-sickness may attack you, or sudden 
death may seize you, or some disaster may befall you, when 
no longer time for repentance will be given. Regulate, there- 
fore, every single action of your lives as if it were to be the 
last. Renew the same thoughts when night comes on ; for 

remember, the long night of eternity is fast approaching 

remember the morning is near at hand when you will not see 
the evening ; or the evening will soon come when you will not 
see the morning. Almighty Father of the morning and of 
the evening, the Sovereign Creator of all things visible and 
invisible, the mighty Cause and great Upholder ! graciously 



S96 



SERMON" XV. 



grant, that when death shall finish the period thou hast allotted 
unto each of us — when the term of our mortal existence shall 
close, the bright day of immortality and joy may open before 
us, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 



SEEMON XY. 

ON PRAYER. 

" In every prayer and supplication let your petitions he made known unto 
God." — Phil., c. iv., v. 6. 

Of all the duties of Christianity none is so often or so strongly 
enforced as that of prayer. Jesus Christ recommended it in 
almost every one of his divine instructions, and composed a 
most sublime form of prayer to engage us to the practice 
thereof. The apostles, following the footsteps of their divine 
Master on this head, in all their writings to the primitive 
Christians appear to have nothing more at heart than to 
enforce the practice of this duty. " Day and night let your 
prayers be continual," say they ; and in another place, " Pray 
without intermission." Nor were their endeavours useless ; 
for we read in the Acts : " The faithful were persevering in 
prayer." No sudden fits of fervour, like airy bubbles on 
water, which scarce appear when they again disappear : no 
Pharisaical or capricious piety distinguished those Christians ; 
but a constant, steady, discreet, and fervent piety, wherein 
they persevered, and whereby they attracted the veneration 
and respect of their very persecutors. Could we but see those 
happy days revive ! Were the spirit of prayer once well 
established among us, we should shortly be delivered from 
those abominable vices which, as a torrent, overflow and dis- 
figure the whole face of the Christian world. But, unhappily, 
scarce do we discover the least faint tracks of this holy exer- 
cise. The enemy of man, knowing well the power, and fearing 
the effects of prayer, contrives too successfully by the pleasures 
of this world, and by its calamities also, to turn away the heart 
of man from prayer, and to occupy it wholly by shadows and 
trifles that pass away. The elevated, basking in ease, as if of 
their own making, forget by prayer to acknowledge the boun- 
tiful hand whence their ease arises ; and a fatal blindness 
banishes from them the obligation of prayer. The great bulk 
of mankind to whom calamity is familiar, neglect by prayer 
to soften their calamities, or to venerate or acknowledge the 
justice and wisdom of that Almighty power who smarts only 
to soothe, who depresses only to exalt, who punishes but to 



ON PRAYER. 



397 



glorify. The use of prayer by many has been totally laid 
aside. Some occasionally pray, but in so indolent and careless 
a manner that no benefit to them arises from prayer. On 
the contrary, much mischief follows to those half-Christians, 
whom, whilst they pretend with their lips to honour the Lord 
by prayer, the Lord spurns : "I will vomit thee out of my 
mouth," as he says in the Revelations ; because they pray not 
from the heart, and because lukewarinness and voluntary dis- 
traction, if not indolence and inattention, accompany their 
prayers. 

Under circumstances like these, it is not to be admired that 
little benefit arises from the prayers of most Christians. Why 
do I say benefit 1 Positive evil arises therefrom — because 
the practice of prayer, in the true spirit of Christianity, is all- 
powerful in effect ; because the neglect of prayer, or what is 
as bad, indolent prayer, is the fertile source of all evils — two 
propositions of abundant instruction. Of all evils have I said 
that indolent or neglected prayer is a fertile source 1 Yes : 
but in considering this question I pass over the transitory and 
passing evils of this life, as unworthy notice in the considera- 
tion of the solid, substantial goods of eternity. To remove, if 
possible, such flagrant and pernicious abuses, and to re-estab- 
lish the use of prayer, so honourable to God and beneficial to 
man, I shall propose to your consideration — 

First — The indispensable obligation of prayer ; and 

Second — The manner of praying. 

First — The great and indispensable obligation of prayer 
arises from two principles — the sovereignty of God and our 
own misery. Almighty God, at the same time that he is will- 
ing to supply our wants, cannot dispense with the submission 
due to him by all his creatures ; and this submission is offered 
by prayer, which is not only a homage due unto God, but also 
a resource against our own weakness. 

Independent of the lights of revelation and faith, the 
innate principles of the law of nature loudly proclaim the 
great pre-existing Power that made us ; and every motive of 
creation and redemption demand the homage of adoration and 
praise so justly due to that great power. Now this homage 
is paid by prayer ; and the obligation of prayer is enforced, 
not only by the law of nature, but by a special command, 
with a promise annexed to that command — "Ask, and you 
shall receive ; " for if the Almighty had nothing in view 
but our relief alone, the institution of prayer would 
have been unnecessary ; because his all-piercing eye can see, 
without any declaration on our parts, the weakness and cor- 



398 



SERMON XV. 



ruption of our nature, the strength and fury of our enemies, 
the many dangers that surround us on every side, our wants 
and our necessities, which he is always ready to relieve, as he 
is infinitely good and infinitely bountiful. Nevertheless we 
see that he commanded prayer. Why so ? Undoubtedly for 
his own honour; as it contains a strong and public testimony of 
his supreme power and our own dependence; which are implied 
in the admonition of the Psalmist : " Subject yourself to 
God, and that by prayer." No supposition can be made 
wherein man is not dependent on God his Maker, and obliged 
to acknowledge this dependence. 

This truth is supported by the example of Jesus Christ 
during the entire of his mortal life on earth. Gethsemani, 
Mount Olivet, and other solitary wilds that abound in 
Palestine, have often been witnesses to the many hours, and 
days, and nights, which the Saviour of the world passed in 
prayer in their dreary and silent shades, pouring forth acts of 
homage, of reverence, and love to his eternal Father. What 
motive could induce our blessed Saviour to act in this man- 
ner ? It could be no want of relief, for, " the plenitude of the 
Divinity," that " dwelt within him," as St. Paul terms it, 
made him Master of all the resources of heaven. What, then, 
could have been his view 1 Certainly to honour his Father, 
and show us an example of the submission he requires at oui 
hands. It is not possible for mortals to pay a more perfect 
worship unto the Deity than by prayer. By prayer we should 
humble our souls and bodies to the very ground, and sink 
ourselves into a sort of self-annihilation in the presence of the 
Lord. His greatness and goodness on the one hand, and our 
miseries on the other, demand this submission. The princes 
of the earth never appear more exalted than when their sup- 
plicant subjects implore their powerful protection. This is 
precisely the case in prayer. For in prayer we should not 
only humble our hearts, but raise our hands to the great 
Master of the world, and like so many poor, distressed sub- 
jects, humbly solicit his relief. Nor is this submission con- 
fined to any one description of persons alone. No : it 
extends to all the ranks and conditions of life. The great 
and the small, the rich and the poor, the learned and the 
simple, the monarch on his throne, as well as his lowest sub- 
ject, must all bend the knee before the Almighty Father of all, 
and honour his greatness by public acknowledgments of their 
dependence. By prayer we raise our thoughts to the throne 
of God : and from the contemplation of his blazing perfections, 
his power, wisdom, bounty, j ustice, and beauty, we begin to 



ON PRAYER. 



399 



magnify his holy name, and invite the whole creation, with 
the prophet Daniel, to join in celebrating his holy name : 
" All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord : praise and extol 
him for ever." By prayer we silently recall the many and 
inestimable gifts of our God ; and by the sense of love they 
raise and excite within us, repay them back to the Author as 
much as is possible for a creature to do : " What shall I 
return to the Lord for all that he hath given unto me 1 " 
Prayer, therefore, necessarily implies the most perfect acts of 
religion, as adoration, praise, and thanksgiving ; and since 
those acts of religion are an indispensable obligation upon man, 
it follows, as St. Thomas justly concludes, that prayer falls 
under the same obligation. Lest these motives should fail in 
making a proper impression on your minds, consider that 
prayer is not only a homage due unto God, but also a resource 
against our own weakness. 

The external evils to which we are all subject in this life, 
from the allurements of flesh and blood, the false deceptions of 
the world and its passing glories, and the seductions of the 
devil, as well as the internal evils to which our passions sub- 
ject us, render an application for succour against their united 
attacks indispensable — and that succour is obtained by 
prayer. St. Paul assures us, that without the grace of God 
we cannot make one step towards heaven, nor form one single 
thought for that end — How is this grace, so absolutely 
necessary for salvation, to be obtained % By prayer : for 
Jesus Christ has told you, " Ask, and you shall receive." As 
no one can be saved, according to St. Austin, without the 
grace of God, so no one can obtain this saving grace but by 
prayer. Prayer, therefore, is the resource which Almighty 
God has put into our hands for completing the great work of 
our salvation — it is the key that unlocks the treasure of 
heaven, grounded on the merits of Jesus Christ, who hath 
made a solemn promise of obtaining for us whatever we should 
ask his Father in his name : " Yerily, verily, I say unto you, 
whatever you ask my Pather in my name shall be granted 

you." 

The wonderful effects of prayer have appeared in every 
age. Patience to bear, constancy to persevere, and fortitude 
to resist all the enemies of your salvation, you shall obtain by 
prayer. By prayer how often did Moses appease the anger 
of God, and wrest from his hands the fiery arms of his venge- 
ance. By prayer the prophet Elias opened and shut the 
heavens at his will ; bringing down the fruitful rain to 
fertilize the earth, or producing sterility for want of it. By 



400 



SERMON XV. 



prayer Joshua levelled with the ground the strong walls of 
Jericho, and stopped the sun in his rapid course. The good thief 
on the cross, Mary Magdalen, and the publican, bear testi- 
mony to the power of prayer. The power of prayer is so 
incredibly great as to extend to all the emergencies of life. 
Other means of salvation, even the very sacraments, are 
limited to certain effects, and only produce particular advan- 
tages : but prayer has no bounds or limitation — it takes in 
everything within its comprehensive reach ; extraordinary 
aids and graces, as well as the usual assistance of heaven. 
By prayer all blessings are obtained, even the great gift of 
final perseverance, which is undoubtedly the greatest blessing 
God can bestow. 

To comprehend clearly this tenet of your religion, you 
must know that no one, though ever so just and good, can 
merit by his good works to persevere to the end ; that is, 
to die in a moment of grace, whereby he has an undoubted 
title to the kingdom of heaven. Of so great a value is this 
favour, that Almighty God was pleased to reserve it par- 
ticularly to himself. But still divines agree with St. Austin, 
that what we never could pretend to by the merits of our 
good works, may infallibly be obtained by prayer and 
supplication. And why I say so is, because Jesus Christ 
having made no limitation to his promise, it must necessarily 
include the great gift of final perseverance. Hence you see 
the necessity of prayer; not. only from the constant aids 
necessary to support your weakness, and the admirable effects 
that may be derived therefrom, but also from the obligation 
of praying, to which' we are all bound. This obligation is 
chiefly set off by the infinite debts we owe the infinite bounty 
of God, the debts of homage, praise, veneration, and love; 
and those debts cannot be paid but by prayer. Prayer is, 
besides, the channel wherein the blessings of heaven constantly 
now • and without prayer we can never obtain the necessary 
succours to bring us to life everlasting. From these considera- 
tions it plainly appears that prayer should be our most constant, 
as well as our most pleasing occupation. The hardened sin- 
ner, who by daily multiplying sins provokes the Lord to with- 
hold his accustomed succours, has still one resource left open 
whereby he may draw down the mercies of the Lord, and that 
resource is prayer — the hardened sinner, St. Austin observes, 
has not sufficient strength to forsake his iniquities, rise above 
his passions, and fulfil those points of the law which require 
some difficulty, such as the sublime precept of the love of God ; 
but he can pray, and by prayer obtain the power to do all 



OS PRAYER. 



this. If the just are bound to pray, in order to persevere in 
the ways of justice, how much, more sinners, that they may 
depart from their evil ways 1 Are you subject to violent pas- 
sions? Pray that the Lord may enable you to overrule them. 
If assailed by strong temptations, prayer shall overcome them. 
No difficulty, no evil can resist the power of prayer. And yet 
prayer, so powerful and universal in effect, and so indispen- 
sable a duty among Christians, appears totally neglected in 
those days by vast numbers of people who pretend to be dis- 
ciples of Christ, and expect to obtain life eternal without 
labouring, or even calling for it by prayer, not only, I say, for 
whole days and nights, but for whole weeks and months. 

Soon as the merchant, or tradesman, or farmer, awakes in 
the morning, business fills his head. The protecting hand of 
heaven, that raised him from a species of death and called 
him to new life, is forgotten ; and gratitude, then so peculiarly 
owing, is superseded by business. Business still growing with 
the growing day, neither the prayer of homage, nor the prayer 
of love, nor the prayer of request, is thought of ; neither 
heaven nor hell is thought of. To this man of business, life 
seems only given to make a fortune. The God that created 
him is forgotten ; the God that protects, and still spares him 
in mercy, is forgotten ; that God who heaps blessings and 
favours on him, which he foolishly imagines the effect of his 
own sagacity and industry, is forgotten. In the meantime, 
this man of business forgets not at regular periods to go to 
regular meals ; to eat when hungry ; to drink when thirsty ; 
and to look on himself as the provider of that meat and drink 
which the invisible hand of God alone provides. To business 
again this man of business proceeds from his meals, or to 
walks or diversions. But the day of tribulation is at hand, 
when " he shall call on me, and I will not hear him." 

Thus life rolls on with the greater part of mankind, and 
the indispensable obligation of prayer is passed over. The 
various trifles of this world are pursued with such eagerness 
and fire by the thoughtless heart of man, that prayer, the 
source of all blessings, is forgotten. The business of this life 
seems to lay aside the affairs of the next ; and a mortal blind- 
ness to your true interests, and a depravity in the ways of sin, 
seems, by a just judgment of the Almighty, to be a punish- 
ment for the abuse or the neglect of prayer. This uneasiness 
and solicitude which I feel, my dear brethren, for your salva- 
tion, would be entirely removed, if you laboured for the solid, 
substantial good things of the next life, as you do for the 
perishable, passing things of this life ; if 3^011 devoted to prayer 



402 



SERMON XV. 



and other Christian works, each day, some reasonable time, 
which you unreasonably waste in something more criminal 
than your respective avocations. A weight of business, far 
from being a lawful excuse, is the strongest motive you can 
allege for prayer. The more you are plunged in the cares and 
solicitudes of life — the more you are exposed to fall and 
commit sin, consequently the more you stand in need of 
an extraordinary assistance from heaven. Now the assist- 
ance cannot be obtained but by prayer. David, the illus- 
trious king of Israel, found means to pray seven times a 
day, amidst the tumult of the most important affairs, the 
expeditions of the war, and the administration of justice : 
" Seven times a day have I prayed to thee, O Lord." 
Cannot you, then, find time to pray every morning and 
every evening 1 What will those affairs avail you before the 
tribunal of God which now occupy the head, engage the heart, 
and fill up your whole time 1 One good prayer will be of 
greater service to you than a whole life of tumult and noise. 
Not one of the great affairs of life can accompany you beyond 
the grave, but all-powerful prayer can obtain the grace of God, 
and the glory of heaven. Prayer to obtain such blessings 
must be accompanied by certain conditions, which I come now 
to treat of. 

Second — To pray is not sufficient ; we must " pray in the 
Holy Ghost," as Paul directs : that is, we must pray in the 
spirit of religion, or in other words, with humility, attention, 
and confidence in the name and through the merits of Christ, 
which prepares the mind, and regulates the object, and the 
very form of prayer. Instead of these necessary conditions, 
our prayers are generally attended by three essential defects, 
as is beautifully laid down by the great St. Austin, who 
always casts a light before on every subject I treat of : we 
pray, says he, either from an actual attachment to sin — 
" mali petimus or for things which have a close connection 
with sin — " mala petimus f or in a manner which is sinful in 
itself — " male petimus." To render our prayers, therefore, 
effectual, we must take care and pray with an actual abhorrence 
to sin ; to pray for such things as are proper to remove and 
preserve us from sin ; to pray in such a manner as can admit 
of no sin — important considerations well deserving your most 
steady attention. 

The first essential requisite for prayer is, to prepare the soul 
by an actual detestation of sin — because sin and the sinner 
being equally hateful to the God of all purity and sanctity, 
he can neither listen to nor grant the petitions of those who 



ON PRAYER. 



403 



approach him covered with the filth of (I mean attachment 
to) their iniquities. The royal prophet says : " The Lord is 
far from the wicked," far from listening to or granting what 
they solicit. " I will not hear your prayers," says the Lord, 
"although you repeat them over and over, because your hands 
are full of rapine and blood." If, therefore, you wish to de- 
rive benefit from prayer, be sure to observe that important 
rule laid down by all the great masters of a spiritual life, to 
begin prayer by detesting your sins — desiring at least to de- 
test and forsake them — otherwise your prayers will most cer- 
tainly be rejected. For in common reason can you suppose 
the Almighty will treat you as a friend whilst you profess 
yourself his enemy 1 or crown you with blessings whilst you 
offend him by your crimes 1 The secret cause of the ill-success 
attending the prayers of the generality of Christians arises 
from the careless and criminal commencement of prayer. 
It is not enough to bend the knee before the universal Parent 
of all, in order to draw down his favours ; you must first show 
yourselves worthy by renouncing sin, and then he, whose 
bounty provides food for the beasts of the field, whose sun 
shines, and whose rain falls, as equally on the sinner as on the 
just — he, I say, shall not only stoop down to hear when you 
pray, but his providence shall overshadow and protect you. 
This preparation to prayer, by renouncing sin, scatters that 
" dark cloud" which, the royal prophet says, " obstructs the 
kind influence of heaven." But whilst the attachment to sin 
remains, prayer, like foul vapours arising from a foul sink, 
cannot ascend to the pure presence of the Lord, unless to arm 
his vengeance. So sensible was holy David of this truth, that 
he always made it his first care to disengage his heart from all 
immoral affections, before he would presume to address the 
Lord in prayer. If you wish to pray with success, follow his 
example. Before you present yourselves at the throne of 
mercy, be sure to detest and renounce your sins in the sin- 
cerity of your hearts. Having thus formed the intention, or 
rather the commencement, the object of prayer next comes 
under consideration. 

Prayer, in the strictest of language, is but petition — and 
should be confined to such objects as are consistent with the 
dignity of God to grant, and man to request. J esus Christ 
has pointed out the great and chief object of prayer — " Seek 
first the kingdom of heaven ; " because the goods or evils of 
this life, being passing and transitory, which he wisely dis- 
penses among mortals merely as means to lead them towards 
heaven ; in his eternal mind those things that pass away with 



404 



SERMON XT. 



time, are not the great objects of prayer, but those spiritual 
blessings which emanate from and finally lead to himself. Pos- 
sessing in himself the plenitude of happiness, which he desires 
to share with you for ever, vile and contemptible is everything 
that leads not towards the plenitude of happiness. What the 
Almighty esteems, that he would have you esteem and sue for 
— his grace and his glory. But how blindly do we behave ! 
We slight these heavenly objects, and thirst after stench and 
putrefaction, as the Scripture calls it. What we solicit with 
much fervour are a few worldly advantages, which possess no 
real good, and often cause our eternal ruin. Ask the ambi- 
tious man, if he prays at all, what he prays for with the most 
fervent desires 1 This post of honour, that post of fame ; this 
dignity, that distinction ; this employment, or that reversion. 
The extensive merchant and successful trader, how do they 
pray 1 For safe voyages, good sales, hungry markets where 
their goods arrive, quick returns, and downfall to their compe- 
titors. This young and distinguished female, instead of protec- 
tion from the powerful hand of God against the rude and 
pestilential blasts of life, prays to be noticed and applauded. 
If you suffer from the secret judgments of the Lord — if the 
affliction of sickness or indigence be insupportable — in pain 
and poverty, call on the Lord for relief, and the prayer 
is lawful; but then call for relief from pain and poverty 
alone. With low terrestrial views, unworthy a Christian, how 
is it possible our prayers should be heard, or that the Almighty 
could attend to supplications so unworthy of him? If Jesus 
Christ promised to make our prayers acceptable to his Father, 
that promise relates to such prayers only as should be offered 
up according to his will, and no others ; for St. John declares : 
"If you ask anything according to his will, he will give it to 
you." 

Now, let me ask, if praying as we generally do, for things 
quite contrary, or at least very dangerous to our salvation, be 
praying according to the will of Christ 1 No ; to pray accord- 
ing to the will of Christ is to pray for the remission of our 
sins and our improvement in virtue ; to pray for the graces 
necessary to overcome our temptations, subdue our passions, 
mortify our appetites, discharge and fulfil every duty of a 
Christian to the very last moment of our lives. But is it 
never lawful to pray for temporal advantages 1 For those that 
concern the immediate support of life, such as food and raiment, 
we may very lawfully request and expect them, as appears from 
the Lord's prayer — " Give us this day our daily bread ; " as for 
all other advantages, you should never call for them, but on 



ON PRAYER. 



40-3 



condition they be not prejudicial to the interests of your soul ; 
and even then they should be the very last object of your care, 
and sued for without any solicitude or anxiety whatsoever. 
When you call for temporal blessings, says St. Austin, 
commit the whole issue unto the Lord, that he may grant or 
refuse them as he thinks proper. Say with that great saint, 
" Are you not my Father, O my God % What more shall I 
say, what more shall I desire 1 Are you not my Father, O my 
God " A short and submissive prayer of this kind contains 
more in a few words than the most prolix orations. Without 
seeming to request anything, you in reality request everything 
that a Christian should call for — namely, those things which 
his paternal providence sees necessary for your progress through 
life, and also conducive to your eternal happiness hereafter. 
It is not enough that you prepare and regulate the object of 
prayer, it is moreover, indispensable that you pray in a manner 
agreeable to God — with humility and attention, in the name 
and through the merits of Christ. 

Humility is a necessary indispensable attendant on prayer, 
and prayer necessarily inspires humility. A strong impressive 
sense of our wants and un worthiness, of the many evils that 
surround such poor miserable creatures as we are, in want of 
every real good, beset with dangers, unable to relieve ourselves 
or even to call for relief, is a strong motive to call forth that 
humility which should always accompany prayer. At prayer 
we present ourselves as supplicants before the Great Master of 
the universe, who has it in his power to grant or refuse what 
we request ; but he never refuses those who think themselves 
unworthy of what they demand, as the Holy Ghost assures us — - 
" The prayers of the humble pierce the heavens, and force 
away the consent of God." The woman of Canaan who forced 
the Lord Jesus to grant her petition, is a remarkable instance 
of this — she begs, she intreats, she solicits, but in vain, for our 
Saviour rejects her petition — " It is not good to take away the 
bread from the children and throw it to the dogs." Hereupon, 
humbling herself profoundly, and not dismayed by the repulse, 
she replies : " I confess, Lord, the comparison is just ; but 
still the vilest animals receive some scraps to feed upon from 
their master's table : let me, then, be treated in like manner." 
All-eloquent irresistible humility overcomes the Lord Jesus : 
he not only grants her request, but applauds her most highly — 
"O woman ; thy faith is great ; let thy will be fulfilled." 

This is indeed praying in the true spirit of religion, and with 
a sure prospect of success. But is this the usual mode of 
praying among many of our modern Christians 1 Observe them 



406 



SERMON XV. 



entering the Church of God at the awful time of sacrifice — do 
they assume the posture of supplicants ? Do they pray even 
in appearance 1 Do they show the necessary exterior marks 
of veneration, arising from hearts impressed with profound awe 
and homage for the great Eternal Being present 1 No such 
thing — the eye seeks and the hand grapples some chair or easy 
seat, where, lounging lazily, they saunter away a long, tedious 
half hour, yawning, and stretching, and staring, but not 
striking their breasts with humility, and calling on God to 
have mercy on them. Moses, that favourite of heaven, that 
prodigy of perfection, the familiar friend of God, could 
never think of addressing the Divinity without trembling. 
" Although I am but dust and ashes," says Abraham, " I will 
speak to my Lord." And we, miserable sinners, full of faults 
and frailties, covered with crimes and weakness,, oppressed 
with sin and guilt, very far, indeed, from the innocence of 
Moses or the holiness of Abraham, are yet so daring as to rush 
into the Almighty's presence unmindful of our miseries or the 
lowness of our condition ! A Christian, sensible of his duty 
and resolved to fulfil it, behaves otherwise. Before and at 
prayer his thoughts being occupied on his own unworthiness, 
his air is composed, his eyes dejected, and his soul penetrated 
with the reverence due to the Divinity he adores. This man 
prays as he should pray, with humility — he must also pray with 
attention. 

Attention at prayer consists of three characters — the first 
in attending to and repeating distinctly every word of the 
prayers you pronounce ; the second, which is more perfect by 
much, in considering and dwelling upon the meaning of every 
word, in order to extract and feed upon the spirit they contain ; 
the third, which is the most perfect of these characters, con- 
sists in uniting your hearts and affections to the various 
sentiments that occur in your prayers. These gradations may 
be adopted where human weakness is great. This method is 
not only easy in practice, but so excellent in its nature, that 
in a very short time it has grounded a great many most 
solidly in virtue. How many beautiful sentiments of adora- 
tion, praise, thanksgiving, contrition, and the love of God, 
abound in the Lord's Prayer, the Penitential Psalms, and the 
different offices of the Church, which are of little or no merit 
for want of the application of the mind and the fervency of 
the heart ! 

If a careless, indolent, and neglectful manner of praying be 
the reproach of many of those who are specially devoted to 
the service of the Almighty, how much more justly and 



ON PRAYER. 



407 



forcibly does it not apply to multitudes of those who call 
themselves Catholics, and to many who are reckoned good 
Christians % The generality of Christians are deficient in that 
necessary attention which is essential to prayer, by suffering 
their fancies to run astray and dwell upon every image and 
whim of the mind. They seem at prayer to be taken up 
with the Lord, and treating about the most important con- 
cerns of their souls ; but in reality their thoughts are occupied 
either on their domestic affairs, the business they are about 
engaging in, the idle amusements of the foregoing, or the pro- 
jected sports of the present day. Now, my brethren, can this 
be called praying 1 Is it not rather, as St. Bernard observes, 
an egregious affront upon the dignity of the Lord, to pray him 
to give attention to your petitions, whilst you are neither 
attentive to him nor to yourselves 1 Without attention, vain 
and unprofitable is prayer — inattention incurs guilt. Should 
a slave, in the affairs of life, address his prince on some weighty 
affair, and, instead of following up his request by a steady and 
meek attention, should turn aside to amuse himself with toys 
and trifles, could it be supposed either that he was serious in 
his request, or that his prince could grant it after such marked 
contempt 1 Even so shall prayer, with a rambling attention, 
succeed. What follows, then 1 How are you to behave when 
you set about prayer 1 — Follow the directions of J esus Christ : 
retire to some private place ; shut up your mind and senses 
to all outward objects, and when you do this you will be in 
retirement although in the midst of an assembly, then pour 
forth your souls in the presence of the Lord ; and if at any 
time weakness should betray you into any voluntary dis- 
traction, take care, the moment you perceive it, to recall your 
wandering thoughts, and fix them on the holy exercise of 
prayer : then shall your prayers mount up before the throne 
of God, and be received by him in the odour of sweetness. 
Persevere also in prayer. The benefits arising from perseve- 
rance may be seen by observing the common course of civil 
society. But Jesus Christ directs assiduity and perseverance 
in prayer, not only by his divine words, but many examples 
in the holy Scriptures. 

Remember this, you who are praying this long time past, 
and, as you imagine, without any benefit ; you who grow 
wearied by prayer if it extends beyond a few minutes ; you 
who abandon prayer soon as the least temptation, the least 
distraction arises. " How is it possible to be constantly calling 
for a favour which is constantly refused 1 " The great St. 
Austin answers the question : "You are mistaken ; God refuses 



408 



SEKMON XV. 



it not, he only defers it." Hold out a little longer, persevere, 
apply, call out, and you will certainly obtain what you have 
been long praying for. If the Almighty should still persist in 
an absolute denial, you may rely, says St. Bernard, it is to 
grant you something better. In this case the denial becomes 
a blessing, because what you ardently wished for may not 
perhaps be expedient for your salvation. Salvation being the 
chief blessing that God can bestow, the great object of all our 
pursuits, the denial of anything that should militate with it 
is a blessing indeed. Observe the Canaanite of whom I have 
already spoken : she cries aloud, but her cries are unnoticed — > 
she redoubles her cries ; the apostles silence her — still persever- 
ing in her cries, she obtains the accomplishment of her desires. 
Follow her example. But should our good and merciful 
God refuse you, be assured it is to confer more distinguished 
favours. In order to increase the glory of St. Paul in heaven, 
he refused, though earnestly entreated, to deliver him by his 
power from a violent temptation wherewith he was attacked : 
" My grace is sufficient for thee, Saul." 

Have confidence, therefore, and persevere in prayer, in the 
name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, which is the last, 
and perhaps the most essential character of prayer. For please 
to remark, that prayer in its nature is not infallible; on the con- 
trary, it necessarily implies a capacity of being rejected; other- 
wise it would not be prayer, but command. The power and 
force of prayer are founded on the merits of Jesus Christ, who, 
by praying for us on earth, has purchased the admission of our 
prayers into the royal presence of God in heaven. Jesus Christ 
in engaging his promise, exacted that our prayers should be 
addressed in his name ; " Whatever you ask my Father in my 
name, shall be granted you." Hence the Church of God always 
terminates her orations by that victorious name ; and hence 
be you instructed to usher in all your prayers by that all-hal- 
lowed name, which carries with it irresistible force : for the 
Almighty Father cannot hear the celestial name without 
recalling the innumerable merits of his Son — that Son whose 
requests he always made it his duty to comply with. There 
is no other method of imparting efficacy to our prayers ; for 
though we invoke the saints in heaven, it is only, as laid 
down by the Council of Trent, that they should engage Jesus 
Christ to intercede for us, in whom and through whom alone 
we have access to our Heavenly Father. 

In finishing, let us take a brief view of what has been said. 
Prayer, you have seen, is of strict obligation, and praying 
continually a sublime virtue : first, because prayer is a homage 



ON THE LOVE WE OWE OUR NEIGHBOUR. 409 

we owe unto G-od, whereby we testify in the most perfect man- 
ner his sovereignty and our own dependence ; secondly, because 
prayer is the means that God has established for conveying 
his grace unto us, the sure method of receiving his choicest 
graces, and often the only method of receiving his most ordinary 
graces. You have seen, also, the necessary conditions of 
prayer with regard to the dispositions of the heart — a desire 
of returning to G-od ; with regard to the object of prayer — 
those things only which lead unto God ; with regard to the 
manner of praying — humility, confidence, attention, and per- 
severance, in the name and through the merits of Jesus 
Christ, which, like so many wings, should enliven and bear 
them up to heaven. If you pray in this manner, says St. 
Austin, " you have acquired the key of heaven," and all its 
treasures are at your disposal. The prayers you daily offer 
up will draw clown upon you the choicest blessings. But if 
you neglect prayer, or pray neglectfully, tremble, for despe- 
rate is your situation ; because, in the ordinary ways of Provi- 
dence, your salvation is impracticable. To prevent this 
irreparable misfortune, pray as I have instructed you — pray 
daily, pray religiously — and you shall obtain the graces of 
conversion, of fulfilling all justice, of persevering to the end, and 
of partaking at length of that immortal crown of glory which 
is reserved for all the just and good in the kingdom of 
heaven, and which, thou Fountain of Love and Goodness, 
in thy mercy grant us all, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



SERMON XYI. 

ON THE LOVE WE OWE OUR NEIGHBOUR. 

" We know that we have passed from death, to life, because we love our 
brethren.' 1 — 1 John, c. hi., v. 14. 

What the apostle means by passing from death to life, is 
passing from a state of sin to a state of grace ; and the mark 
whereby we may discern this hajDpy change — I do not say 
with an absolute certainty, but with that degree of proba- 
bility and inward assurance which is sufficient to banish all ser- 
vile fear, and administer peace and comfort to a virtuous mind — 
the mark, I say, whereby we may discern this happy change, 
which procures this great and inestimable advantage, is, " be- 
cause we love our brethren because we bury in oblivion the 
animosities, whether well or ill-founded, which heretofore 
separated us from our neighbour, and for the sake of Jesus 



410 



SEEM ON XVI. 



Christ, associate ourselves to him in the bonds of charity : 
" Because we love our brethren." For the same apostle says, 
" Whosoever is not just is not of God ; nor is he that loveth 
not his brother." It appears, therefore, my brethren, that 
unless you love your brethren, you can have no pretensions to 
justice, nor, consequently, any assurance or inward testimony of 
having " passed from death to life" — from the death of sin to 
the life of grace. If you love not your brethren, you are still 
under the empire of sin, and as yet buried in the shades of 
death: for the great apostle St. John says, "Everyone that 
hateth his brother is a murderer ; and you know that no 
murderer hath life everlasting abiding in him." Can any- 
thing be stronger than these expressions of the apostle! 
Anything clearer, at the same time more capable of alarming 
our fears and rousing us to a perfect knowledge and 
a punctual discharge of our duty in this particular? 
How comes it, my brethren, and yet the fact is so, 
that a duty so momentous as the love of our neighbour, which 
involves in its consequence an interest no less than our eternal 
salvation, should be so little understood by the generality of 
Christians 1 Some fritter it away, others contract its bounds, 
whilst others scarcely allow any obligation to exist. I have 
much ambition then to convince you of your obligation on this 
head, and the extent of your obligation. But your attention 
must necessarily accompany me, lest by shutting your eyes to 
the light, you shut the door of salvation against yourselves ; 
and I beseech you to apply with me for the light of the Holy 
Ghost, and the divine influence of his heavenly rays, on our 
hearts as well as understandings, that, examining with sim- 
plicity his holy laws of brotherly love, they may lead us to 
that happy country where love alone reigns. In order to con- 
vince you of the obligation you lie under of loving your 
neighbour, I will, 

First, lay before you the motives for that love ; and 

Secondly, the nature of the love you are bound to show him. 

First — Among the many motives that should engage us to 
the love of our neighbour, two particularly claim your most 
serious consideration. The first arises from the supreme power 
of Almighty God : the second, from our own interest. God 
commands that we love our neighbour ; it is our own interest 
to love him — two reflections capable of setting forth our duty 
on this head in the clearest light. 

The law of nature has implanted in the heart of man the 
obligation he lies under of loving his neighbour ; and in the 
Mosaic law this obligation was enforced by a particular pre- 



OX THE LOVE WE OWE OUR NEIGHBOUR. 41 L 

cept — " Ye shall love the stranger as yourselves but in the 
law of grace, bur sovereign Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, 
says, in the Gospel of St. Luke : " Thou shalt love thy neigh- 
bour as thyself;" and in St. John : " What I command you is, 
that you love each other." The apostles, in all their writings, 
insist frequently upon the same obligation ; so that it cannot 
in the least be doubted that the love of our neighbour is an 
injunction of the law. Not only a simple injunction, I say, 
but one of the chief and most material injunctions of the law ; 
for Jesus Christ declares it to be the second precept of the 
law, in point of dignity : The first is : " Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with 
all thy strength ;" and the second : " Thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself." 

When our blessed Saviour came upon earth, he found this 
virtue very little practised among mankind, even among his 
own people, the J ews ; and to revive the practice of this vir- 
tue, originally engraved by the finger of God upon the heart 
of man, and afterwards enforced by the written law of Moses, 
he ordered it by a special, solemn precept, as laid down in St. 
John : " I give you a new commandment — that you love each 
other, as I loved you." A new command does Christ call 
what was written in the law of Moses 1 ? Yes, a new command : 
for the charity of the faithful had grown so cold on this 
point, and the Jews had adhered so closely to the severities 
of the Mosaic law — "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" 
—that brotherly or neighbourly love was scarce known in 
practice : and Jesus Christ, who "came down from heaven 
to cast fire upon earth," re-established the practice and 
observation of this heavenly virtue in a most particular 
manner, so as to make it the distinguishing mark of his reli- 
gion ; saying, " In this they shall know that you are my 
disciples — if you love each other." It was also a new 
command in this, that Jesus Christ, by his own blessed ex- 
ample, had raised it to greater dignity than was annexed to it 
in the old dispensation. In this sense it may likewise be con- 
sidered a new command, that if it had not existed in the Old 
Law, Jesus Christ would have enacted it in the ~New : for the 
spirit of the law of Christ is a spirit cf love and mutual bene- 
volence. The Old Law was a law of terror, " a heavy and in- 
tolerable yoke," as St. Paul calls it ; but the Christian law is a 
law of meekness, charity, and goodness. Neither goodness 
nor charity can dwell where love is absent : it is the principle 
that enlivens our passage through the world, and smoothens 
the rough ways of life. Jesus Christ, by way of ■ eminence, 



412 



SERMON XVI. 



calls it his own command : "This is my command, that you love 
each other." What could he have said more strong to recom- 
mend the practice of it 1 My command," is as much as say- 
ing, the other commands you have received before from Moses 
and the prophets, but I mean that you look upon this com- 
mand of loving each other as my command, or a command 
coming immediately from me. 

"What shows the command of loving our neighbour to be of 
the greatest consequence is, that it comprises most of the in- 
junctions of the law : for, as St. Paul observes, the most ma- 
terial obligations of the law, such as, " Thou shalt not steal, 
thou shalt not commit adultery," and the rest, are all compre- 
hended in this one sentence, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour 
as thyself." The love of one's self is a principle natural to all 
mankind — it sets us upon avoiding evil and seeking good. 
The command directs us to do so by our neighbour. If we 
love our neighbour as Jesus Christ commands, we shall never 
do him the least injury; on the contrary, we shall never refuse 
doing him all the service that lies in our power, and as often 
as he stands in need of assistance. Our assistance, it is true, 
may become limited, from circumstance or situation ; but the 
love we should bear our neighbour will always suggest the 
most benevolent sentiments. Hence it appears, that the love 
of our neighbour takes in every duty relating to mankind, and 
consequently must be a most material obligation — an obligation 
which includes very nearly the whole substance of the law. 
Reasoning upon this principle, St. Paul says in his epistle to 
the Romans : " Whoever loves his neighbour has fulfilled the 
law j" and again : " The plenitude of the law is charity." 
Not but the law contains many injunctions besides, but because 
any man that has charity will certainly fulfil every duty re- 
lating to God and man, and, of course, fulfil the whole law : 
for, "the whole law and the prophets depend," as our Saviour 
declares in the Gospel, " on the two great precepts of the love 
of God and the love of our neighbour." 

Now the love of our neighbour is not only of the greatest 
consequence, but of the strictest obligation ; so strict, that 
unless it is fulfilled, there can bje no hopes of life everlasting. 
To make this plain to you, my brethren, it is necessary to ob- 
serve, that there is no attaining eternal happiness without 
loving God above all things. It is not possible to love God 
above all things without loving your neighbour ; as is laid 
down in the Gospel of St. John — ' If any one will say, I love 
God, and in the meantime hate his brother, he is a liar. For 
this command," he says again, " we have from God, that he 



ON THE LOVE WE OWE OUR NEIGHBOUR. 413 

that loveth God love also his brother." So that you see it is 
impossible to love God without loving your neighbour : and it 
follows, also, that if any man doth not love his neighbour, he 
doth not love Almighty God ; nor, of course, can have any 
pretensions to the kingdom of heaven. But if, on the other 
hand, we do love our neighbour, a strong presumption arises 
that we also love the Lord our God ; as is suggested in the 
first epistle of St. John — "If we love each other, God remaineth 
in us, and his charity is perfect in us." The love of God 
and the love of our neighbour, divines say, are like two links 
of one chain, which are inseparably united ; or like lines which 
terminate in the same centre ; or streams which flow from one 
and the same source. If the connection then between the love 
of God and of our neighbour be so very intimate ; if the one 
is essentially united to the other, as the shadow is to the sub- 
stance ; if the motives that should engage us to the practice 
of this heavenly virtue — the power and command of God and 
our own eternal salvation, be so very great, let me ask, in what 
manner have you hitherto discharged this important obligation 
of brotherly love 1 Whence proceed those angers, this bitter- 
ness, those quarrels, that calumny, this slander, those broils, 
those lawsuits 1 Is it from the love of your neighbour ; from 
the love of God 1 Ah ! my God, how languid appears your 
divine love in such transactions as these ! how extinguished 
that celestial fire which animates your angels and forms the joy 
of the blessed ! Notwithstanding the importance of this favourite 
command of our dear and most honoured Lord and Redeemer, 
Jesus Christ, notwithstanding that eternal joys or eternal sor- 
rows depend upon the observance of it, yet few there are who 
seriously consider it. But much the greater part of us look 
upon ourselves as having little or no connection with the rest 
of mankind. In our vain and mistaken notions, we fancy that 
our own private happiness is and should be our only care. But 
let them hear, and I beg the observation may never be forgot- 
ten by you — let them hear once in their lives, that God 
commands, and commands them under the severest terms, to 
extend their thoughts and their benevolence to the rest of 
mankind, and consider the whole race of man as one large and 
extensive family, every member of which, especially the poor, 
the forlorn, and the distressed, has an inviolable claim to the 
love and assistance of the whole. This is the spirit of that 
great and universal law of charity, which unites all mankind 
in the bonds of mutual love and benevolence ; and is likewise 
the first motive for loving our neighbour — the second flows 
from our own interest. 



414 



SERMON XVI. 



Were we to consider things only in a temporal light, it is 
very easy to show that nothing can be more profitable than 
the great law of universal charity — for as man is formed for 
society, and liable, from the very frame of his constitution, to 
several wants and necessities, it is plain he must need the 
assistance of his brother man in many occurrences of human 
life. How is this assistance procured 1 By the great law of uni- 
versal charity' — that law which obliges us, under pains and woes 
of eternal duration, to assist our brethren in their wants, to 
direct them in their doubts, to comfort them in their afflictions, 
to serve and attend them in their infirmities. In fact, without 
this law man would not be man as formed by God, because 
the instinctive principle would be destroyed, which points out 
doing as we would be done by; man would become a species of 
brute — a tyrant to man. Is it not from the inobservance of 
this great and universal law, that all the miseries of mankind 
arise 1 Is it not the corrupted source of fell dissension, bitter 
animosity, black fraud, and cruel injustice 1 Did we all love 
our neighbour as the law ordains, who could ever think of 
offending, much less hurting or destroying his brother 1 Did 
we love our neighbour, we would always give, always receive 
every mutual, every necessary aid. Did we love our neigh- 
bour as the law appoints, man would then become a species of 
divinity to man. Then the great would never abuse their 
power, nor the rich their opulence — envy and jealousy would 
depart from the world ; and the cold limbs of feeble misery 
would arise at the beck of benevolence ; wealth, like the sun, 
would never cease to diffuse its benign influence all around, 
even to the extremities of the creation — then, in fine, all man- 
kind would live upon earth as in a terrestrial paradise — in 
union, in peace, in possession of the essential comforts of life ; 
and death then would be as a door opened from a paradise here 
to the paradise of heaven ! 

O my brethren ! have you ever considered the love of your 
neighbour in this sublime point of view 1 Have you followed 
up effectually this consideration by action 1 No : the law of 
charity is not observed ; and, therefore, man becomes com- 
monly the greatest enemy to man, inasmuch as he frequently 
proves the destruction of those whose welfare he should pro- 
mote — more savage than the wild and savage beast, who never 
bends his rage against his own, but those of a different 
species. 

Let us, however, remove all lesser considerations, and raise 
our thoughts to things of a more exalted nature — the spiritual 
blessings that attend the love of our neighbour ; the first of 



ON THE LOVE WE OWE OUR NEIGHBOUR. 



415 



which is the favour and friendship of God. St. John tells you, 
I mean the Holy Ghost tells you by his pen : i ' If we love 
each other, God remaineth in us, and his charity is perfect in 
us." Now I beseech you to reflect how great those blessings 
must be which necessarily wait upon man whom the great 
eternal God condescends to love ; what effusions of grace 
must he not continually derive from the inexhaustible 
fountain of all grace and goodness? Amongst men, the 
truest friendship and sincerest affection remain often ineffectual, 
because it is not always in the power of men to do good to 
those they love — but with God it is quite otherwise ; his 
goodness being always attended with omnipotent power, he 
cannot love without bestowing the blessings that ever flow 
from his love ; because his power being equal to his goodness, 
the effects of the one must necessarily follow the other ; and 
it follows that the desire of doing good, which is the very 
nature of love, is the same with Almighty God as doing it in 
reality. Now what is it that makes man the object of the 
love of God, and consequently of his blessings ? — the love of 
your neighbour, as the Holy Ghost told you before, in the 
words of St. John ; and therefore the same apostle exhorts us 
"to have, above all things, mutual charity for each other;" be- 
cause " charity," or the love of our neighbour, " cover eth. a 
multitude of sins." Nothing can be more comfortable than 
this assurance of the apostle, with regard to the wholesome 
consequences of the love of our neighbour. Where is the man 
(not on this earth) who is not conscious of having frequently 
offended the Divine Majesty, and of being greatly in debt to 
the justice of God 1 One of the most effectual modes of re- 
pairing those offences, and the many insults we have offered 
the Most High in violating his laws, is by loving our neigh- 
bour ; as is laid down in the Gospel of St. Mark — " To love 
one's neighbour as himself is greater than all burnt offerings 
and sacrifices." I have dwelt considerably upon this subject, 
because it is one of the most essential points of our religion — 
because it is the great second command of the law — because it 
is the new and favourite command of Jesus Christ — and be- 
cause it is a command Ave all have so great an interest in, as 
our happiness, both in this world and in the next, materially 
depends on the observance thereof. Having informed you of 
the great and powerful motives that should engage you to the 
love of your neighbour, I did promise, and I now mean to per- 
form that promise, to lay before you the essential character 
of the love you are bound to show your neighbour — to which 
I solicit your particular attention. 



416 



SERMON XVI. 



Second — As the love of our neighbour is absolutely and 
indispensably requisite for the kingdom of God, it is a point 
of the first importance to know when and how to discharge 
this duty. 

For this purpose it is necessary that the love we bear our 
neighbour be religious in principle, sincere and effectual in 
execution. 

Religious in principle means, that the love we show our 
brethren doth arise from a motive of religion ; either because 
they are made to the image and likeness of Almighty God, 
and capable, on that account, of knowing and loving him in 
this life, and of seeing and enjoying him in the next — or 
because they are our brethren in Christ, called to the same 
faith, destined to the same rewards, partakers of the same 
sacraments, blessed with the same graces — in a word, because 
they are living members of the mystical body of Christ. This 
is what St. Paul sets forth when he says : " We are all one 
body in Christ, and each of us members one of another." 
Loving our neighbour in this manner is loving him without 
exception ; and yet, in this world, it is not uncommon to see 
people profess and even show the greatest regard and friend- 
ship for a certain set of acquaintances, who are distinguished 
by rank, or agreeable in society, or kind or benevolent in 
several occurrences of life — the rest of men are all excluded, 
many despised, others hated and abhorred. Is this loving your 
neighbour as God commands'? By no means: it is loving as 
pagans do, not as Christians should — for "If you only love 
those that do good unto you, what more do you do than the 
very heathens themselves ? " The second great precept of the 
law obliges you to love mankind without exception — the 
Greek and the barbarian, the Jew and the Gentile, the un- 
believer, the dissenter, and the infidel. You may, and should 
indeed pity their errors, and the darkness they are in, and 
pray that the sun of justice may enlighten their understand- 
ings and lead them back to the ways of justice — but as for 
themselves, you are obliged to love them, to love them in 
Jesus Christ, according to the command — "Thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself." Far be then from any one to think, or 
to say, that it is lawful to hate, much less to injure, those that 
differ from any other in a religious principle. No : the Church 
of Christ does, and always did, extend her charity to every 
society of men that inhabit the wide surface of the earth ; as 
must appear plainly to every man who considers her conduct 
impartially. For, let me ask, what other motive but the most 
pure and universal charity could engage her to employ and 



ON THE LOVE AVE OWE OUR NEIGHBOUR. 



417 



to sacrifice thousands of her most generous sons, in the remotest 
regions of the earth, to procure the conversion and the eternal 
salvation of those that are born in infidelity, or that have 
deserted the ways of heaven 1 The want of charity is always 
attended with the utmost indifference ; who is he that troubles 
himself in the least about those he neither loves nor regards 1 
If, therefore, we see the Church of Christ daily exerting the 
most indefatigable zeal for people of all ranks and condi- 
tions, however different they may be in their religious wor- 
ship, is it not evident it must proceed from the most warm and 
universal love % 

If we loved our neighbour from a religious principle, we 
should never be induced for his sake to act in any way incon- 
sistent with the law of God. Many love their neighbours, but 
love them too much : for instance, a man in power, to favour 
a friend, will frequently transgress the strictest laws of equity 
and justice; a parent, from an excessive and mistaken fond- 
ness, will frequently overlook the misconduct of a child, which 
often is the cause of its eternal perdition ; a faithful and gene- 
rous friend, from a false notion of friendship, will frequently 
join an intimate acquaintance in the execution of the most 
unjust and unlawful designs. But this is not loving your 
neighbour in Christ and for Christ — this is loving according to 
the flesh, but not according to the Spirit. " Walk," says St. 
Paul, " in mutual love, as Jesus Christ hath loved us/' Now, 
the chief s object of the love of Christ for man was his spiritual 
welfare and salvation ; if, therefore, you mean to love your 
neighbour as Christ commands, you never will condescend to 
anything contrary to the good of his soul : for a consent or con- 
descension of this nature would in reality be an expression of 
the most mortal hatred, as under the appearance of friendship, 
it brings about his eternal damnation. 

In a. word, if we loved our neighbour from a motive of 
religion, we would consider every man as a member of Christ, 
and, consequently, treat him with the sentiments he deserves 
in that character. This is the meaning of St. Paul when he 
directs us to " prevent each other with mutual honour and 
respect." For there is no creature, my brethren, that has the 
image of Almighty God visibly impressed upon his soul, or is 
dignified with the name of Christ, and ennobled with his grace, 
but is worthy, on that very account, of the highest veneration. 
But the misfortune is, that people seldom consider others but 
in the wrong light in which they are placed by the mistaken 
principles of the world, which affix the notion of greatness 
and appropriate all respect to wealth and power alone Hence 



418 



SERMON XVI. 



it follows, even in the Christian world, that every man desti- 
tute of the advantages of fortune is looked upon with cold 
indifference, if not with silent contempt. But be pleased to 
consider, that the person thus looked upon is of the human 
kind, and, consequently, one of the most distinguished works 
of God — be pleased to consider, that he is a member of Christ, 
a child of God, and an heir to the kingdom of heaven. Is he 
not redeemed by the most precious blood of Christ 1 Is he not 
the purchase of the death and sufferings of a God 1 Place him, 
then, in these shining lights, and then see if he be not worthy 
your attention, your esteem, love, and veneration. As Malachy 
observes : " If we all have but one and the same Master, the 
Almighty God ; if it be one and the same God that has created 
us all, and created us to his likeness and image : how comes it 
to pass, that any one should disregard his brother 1 If we 
loved our neighbour from a motive of religion, we certainly 
would bear with all the weaknesses and imperfections of every 
individual : for " true charity," St. Paul says, " is patient and 
bountiful." Instead of this Christian meekness which the 
apostle recommends, what do you generally see in the world 1 
A world of airs, and follies, and selfishness ; a world of unsub- 
dued, inflammable tempers, ready to take fire at every trifle. 
" There is no bearing him !" What is that so very disagreeable 
in your neighbour which you cannot bear ] " His rigid temper, 
his severe ways, his austere aspect • everything in him is in 
the highest degree shocking." Take care that your vanity or 
self-love have not magnified his foibles, and raised mountains 
from mole-hills. Look into yourself, and there, perhaps, you 
will find greater imperfections by far than those which prove 
so offensive in the conduct of your neighbour. You cannot 
bear with your neighbour — nevertheless, you require your 
neighbour should bear with you. He is disagreeable ! Are 
you less so yourselves 1 But admitting you are, and his foibles 
as great as you represent them, is he not still a Christian 1 Is 
he not your brother in Christ 1 Is he not a person God com- 
mands you to love ; whose failings, consequently, you ought to 
bear with 1 " Bear each other's burdens," St. Paul says to the 
Galatians, " and so shall you fulfil the law of Christ." If, 
therefore, you do not bear with each other, you cannot be 
deemed to have fulfilled the law. 

It is not, however, enough that the love we bear our neighbour 
oe religious in its principle, it must likewise be sincere and effec- 
tual in the execution : for Jesus Christ says, " Thou shalt love 
thy neighbour as thyself. Nothing can be more sincere or 
effectual than the love we bear ourselves : it is discernible in 



ON THE LOVE WE OWE OUR NEIGHBOUR. 



419 



every scene, in every action of life. Even when we do good 
to others, is it not generally our own private interest we 
seek % This inclination to self-interest is so strong, that it 
rules in every affection of the mind, and seems to be inter- 
woven with our very nature : insomuch that it is ourselves 
in reality we love, at the very time that we mean to 
testify our love unto others. If, therefore, you purpose 
to fulfil the law of charity, you must love your neigh- 
bour sincerely and effectually, as you love yourselves. You 
are not, however, to imagine, that this precept obliges you to 
love your neighbour as much as yourselves. No : the terms 
of the law clo not imply an equality of love, as divines observe, 
but a similitude or likeness of love. The great rule of cha- 
rity whereby we are bound to the love of our neighbour, is 
laid down by Jesus Christ in the Gospel of St. Luke, which 
directs, " that you do unto others as you would they did unto 
you." Now as you could not in reason expect, that your 
neighbour gave you the preference, when the occasion offers, 
of procuring a considerable advantage : so neither can he 
expect, nor are you obliged to give him a preference upon a 
like occasion. The law requires that you love him, not as 
much as yourself, but in the same manner or order in which you 
love yourself. To illustrate this point, which is really very 
nice, divines observe that the love we bear ourselves appears 
in two things — the sentiments of the heart and our outward 
actions. We not only wish ourselves well, but likewise pro- 
cure ourselves every advantage of body and soul that we can : 
in order, therefore, to love our neighbour as ourselves, we must 
behave towards him in the same manner ; this is, we are bound 
not only to wish him well, but likewise to procure him every 
advantage that lies in our power, and as often as he stands in 
need of the same. The great St. Augustine, expounding this 
passage, says : " "We love our neighbours truly as ourselves, 
when we wish them the same advantages we wish unto our- 
selves, and procure them the same advantages we would 
willingly procure ourselves." 

Two things appear from this : first — that in consequence of 
the great law of mutual charity, we are obliged never to do 
any harm to our neighbour; and, secondly — to do him all 
the good, to render him every service in our power, as often as 
occasion requires, although he were our most mortal enemy. 
But among the blessings arising from the exercise of mutual 
charity among mankind, none is so distinguished, from its 
excellence and importance, as the love of God in this life, and 
the possession of his kingdom in the life to come — so you 



420 



SERMON XVI. 



are bound by the faithful discharge of this duty, to bend 
your chief endeavours to procure for your neighbour this 
grand, this unspeakable, this inestimable good. In virtue of 
this obligation, you are bound to sacrifice every temporal 
interest, even your very life, for your neighbour's salvation, 
when it depends thereon. Thus St. John says, in his first 
epistle, " By this we know the charity of God, because he 
laid down his life for us : and we ought to lay down our lives 
for our brethren." Indeed the occasion of laying down your 
life for your brethren, seldom occurs, with regard to the bulk of 
mankind ; but this frequently happens with regard to the pas- 
tors of the Church, and those that have the care of souls : 
as for the rest, they are bound in conscience to be inwardly 
disposed to do so, from a strong and well-founded assurance, 
that God will enable them to discharge their duty in this 
particular when the occasion offers. 

I feel it a duty to go thus far in showing you the extent, 
the elevation, and the perfection of the great law of mutual 
charity. But, unhappily, many there are who know not their 
duty on this head ; many there are who, far from sacrificing 
the least temporal interest to the spiritual advantage of their 
neighbours, are the first to solicit, to seduce, and urge them 
on to the commission of the most sinful actions, in order 
either to gratify their passions, or to preserve a most insigni- 
ficant interest. 

Unhappy men ! how long will you be strangers to the 
love you owe your neighbour ? You cannot love him whilst 
you are instrumental to his eternal perdition 1 ? you cannot 
love him whilst you refuse contributing to his eternal hap- 
piness — but why shall man sacrifice his interest to the spiri- 
tual good of his neighbour ? Already have I told you — 
because God commands it ; because your neighbour's salvation 
is of a higher nature, and vastly more estimable, than any 
temporal interest whatsoever. " My little children," says St. 
John, "let us not love in word, nor with the tongue; but in 
deed and truth." Thus I require you this day to love your 
brethren, love them without exception, in Christ and for 
Christ ; love them as yourselves sincerely and effectually. By 
loving thus, we show our love for Almighty God, and 
Almighty God will show his love for us. How? by making us 
one day partakers of the great and inconceivable felicity he 
reserves in heaven for those that love and serve him upon 
earth. Amen. 



ON THE PASSION. 



421 



SERMON XVII. 

OX THE PASSION. 

" Christ died for our sins — the just for the unjust — that he might offer us 
unto God." — 1 Peter, c. iii., v. 18. 

Was it possible, my brethren, to express in more succinct and 
lively terms than the apostle has done, the mournful subject 
that calls us all to the foot of the cross on this lamentable day 1 
At once he lays before us the chief object of our attention — 
the Sufferings of our Lord — " Christ died for our sins," the 
cause of his sufferings, our sins and iniquities — "the just for 
the unjust," the object of his sufferings — our reconciliation 
with God, " that he might offer us unto God." Here is abun- 
dant matter to call forth reflection and fix our thoughts upon 
the present subject. On other occasions it may be necessary 
to awaken attention by pious artifices, but here the cause 
speaks loudly of itself. The profound and adorable scenes 
which the cross this day exhibits to our view are most striking, 
as well in their nature as in all their circumstances — the 
humiliations of our Redeemer and the excess of his torments, 
the savage fury of his enemies, the mournful sentiments of the 
universal Church, the awful silence and gloom that cover the 
sanctuary, the pious expectations of you, my friends — all tend 
to excite and prepare the soul for contemplating the tragedy 
which Calvary this day exhibits. Let us indulge this happy 
disposition, and consider at leisure the most moving subject of 
our holy religion — the passion and death of Jesus Christ ; but 
consider it in a plain and simple manner, attended with such, 
reflections only as naturally arise from the subject and present 
themselves to the mind. Fairly and nakedly to lay this sub- 
ject before you, is the surest way to expose it in an advan- 
tageous light : any additional ornament would only divert our 
thoughts from the consideration of an object wherein our dear- 
est interests are involved. This is my design — but to reduce 
a vast extended matter to some bounds, I look upon the death 
of Christ, after the apostle St. Paul, as the sacrifice of all man- 
kind. This, I dare say, is the strictest as well as the highest 
notion that can be formed of the passion of our Redeemer. 

First, then, we shall see this heavenly victim loaded with 
our sins ; 

Secondly, struck in punishment of our sins : and, 
Thirdly, consumed in expiation of our sins. 
J esus Christ charges himself with our sins in the Garden of 
Olives — J esus Christ atones for our sins in the different tribu- 



422 



SERMON XVII. 



rials — Jesus Christ effaces our sins upon Mount Calvary. In 
the first place, we shall see our Saviour plunged into an ocean 
of sorrow ; in the second place, sinking under the weight of the 
most cruel torments; in the third place, expiring upon a cross 
— everywhere we shall find motives of love and gratitude for 
our Redeemer — of sorrow and confusion for our sins ! 

Venerable Cross — made illustrious by the adorable burden 
you bore — sink deep into our hearts, and touch them with the 
lively pangs our Saviour felt within your arms j make us com- 
miserate his pains, and bewail our infidelities, the only source 
of all his anguish ! 

First — The fatal hour is come — that hour foretold by the 
prophets, when hell in all its fury, the world in all its envy, 
co-operate to raise a tempest which rages uncontrolled against 
Jesus Christ; or to speak more clearly, with the prophet 
Isaias, that hour when God the Father, in vindication of his 
honour blasted by the disobedience of man, is to discharge on 
his only begotten Son all the punishments due to sin: " For the 
wickedness of my people I have struck him." The injury the 
Almighty had received from the violation of his laws is 
always present to his eternal mind, and calls out for a just and 
ample satisfaction : for nothing is more inconsistent with the 
wisdom and justice of a God, than to leave an action un- 
punished which necessarily tends to his dishonour. But where 
shall this just, this ample satisfaction be found 1 All the re- 
parations of man are limited in their nature, and, conse- 
quently, bear no proportion with an offence given to an un- 
limited, infinite Being. "Where, then, shall this just, this ample 
satisfaction be found 1 Wherever I cast my eyes I perceive 
nothing but sin and misery — among the numerous tribes that 
cover the whole face of the earth, not one but stands himself in 
need of a Redeemer. Man, therefore, is abandoned to his miser- 
able fate, and doomed to mourn, with overflowing tears, his un- 
changeable condition. Such had been his misfortune in effect, 
were it not for the unspeakable charity of the Son of God, who 
in those desperate circumstances steps forth, as the royal 
prophet says — steps forth to act the part of a mediator: " Then 
have I said, Behold I come." 

Imagine you are present in the Garden of Olives, which 
skirts Jerusalem — that garden which he often sanctified before 
by his presence in holy prayer. Here J esus Christ is pleased to 
begin the grand work of our salvation. Behold him prostrate 
on the ground, his thoughts full of his sacrifice. After a long, 
deep, important pause, he breaks forth into these words, Lo ! 
I come, eternal Father, to appease thy wrath, and satisfy for 



ON THE PASSION. 



423 



the transgressions of mankind : " then have I said, Behold, I 
come." Immortal by nature, I have assumed a mortal body, 
to take upon me all the punishments of sin — my sufferings, 
increased by the immediate influence of my divinity, will repair 
all thy glory, and make amends for the rebellion of man : " Then 
have I said, Behold, I come." What more can an injured God 
require than the humiliations and sufferings of a suppliant 
God? No longer shall thy altars smoke with the fruitless 
blood of animals : " Holocausts for sin thou hast disliked :" 
behold here that long-expected victim, that mystical lamb, 
which is to take away the sins of the world — pour down upon 
me all thy fury ; let my blood serve to quench thy flaming- 
wrath, and wash away the guilt of sin ! 

He finishes — the oblation is accepted — Jesus Christ, in the 
eyes of his Father, is no more, as St. Paul declares, than as an 
object of malediction, a victim doomed to bear the iniquities 
of the world. In fact, from this moment all the sins that 
ever were, or ever shall be ; the brutish dissoluteness of lust, 
the wild havock of ambition, the inhuman projects of revenge, 
the cruel strokes of oppression, the excesses of intemperance, 
the devastation of error, the scandal of impiety ; our 
blasphemies and imprecations, our frauds and injustices, our 
lies and dissensions, thickened into a dark cloud, rush down 
at once upon him, and oppress him, as the royal prophet says, 
with their ponderous load. Observe, my brethren, how cruel 
was the task of our Saviour to undergo this first scene of his 
passion — a God essentially free from sin, necessarily averse to 
sin — to see himself beset, encompassed, charged with sin ! 
What cruelty greater, what severity harder ? Infinite Wisdom 
of my God, thou alone canst comprehend it ! Weak and 
guilty as we are/ we discover only some faint glimmerings — and 
the hideousness of sin, the blindness of our understanding, 
the corruption of our will, conceal all that is most shocking 
in it. The all-seeing eye of our Saviour seized at once the 
deformity of its nature and its opposition to the Divinity ; 
and still he takes upon him all its horrors. Yes ; the God of 
purity takes upon him all our obscenities ; the God of justice, 
all our iniquities ; the God of sanctity, all our irreligion and 
impieties ! 

J esus Christ not only takes upon him our sins, but our sins 
attended with the heaviest punishments. Here in the garden 
our Saviour foresaw all the humiliations he was to undergo, 
all the severities he was to endure ; he foresaw the infidelity 
of his disciples, the animosity of the Jews, the cruelty of the 
executioners — he foresaw the cuffs, the stripes, the thorns, the 



424 



SERMON XVII. 



lance, the gall, the vinegar, the cross — he foresaw all this, not 
successively and according to the different intervals of time 
and place, but in one comprehensive moment : in one fright- 
ful point he foresaw the whole of that chalice prepared for 
him by his Father, which, bitter as it is, in a few hours he is 
to drink off to the dregs — he foresaw, I say, the inflexible, 
the terrible rigour of his Father during the long course of his 
sufferings, in exerting all the arms of his justice. Was it not 
enough, O my God ! to let loose the malice of man 1 Among 
so many strokes inflicted by foreign hands, must our Saviour 
feel the sensible strokes of a [Father 1 Is it thus thou dost 
treat thy only, only begotten Son 1 ? — this Son, the bright 
effulgence of thy divine nature 1 — this Son, in whom thou 
didst formerly place thy comfort and delight 1 What is be- 
come, O my God ! of thy ancient tenderness 1 That heaven, 
which some days ago poured down its softest influence, and 
spread all its glories around our Saviour's head, is now, accord- 
ing to the expression of the royal prophet, turned into a heaven 
of brass. And you, most charitable Redeemer, with what 
eyes can you behold this ocean of woes 1 Alas ! he sickens at 
the sight — a secret sense of his approaching sufferings fills his 
heart with trouble and anxiety : " He began to grow sorrowful, 
and to be sad." This sadness, these sorrows, increasing con- 
tinually, throw him at last into the utmost dejectedness. 
What will be the effect of this desolate situation'? Jesus- 
Christ can no longer bear it. Behold him rise from the ground 
and seek from his apostles some relief to his sorrows — you, 
my friends, the early and constant companions of my toils, sup- 
port my fainting spirits and console my grief, for " my soul is 
sorrowful even unto death." Happy, thrice happy men ! to 
whom it is granted to be the comforters of your Saviour, your 
afflicted Lord and Master. Fly quickly, fly, to receive his 
sighs and groans, and pour forth before him all those melting 
expressions of love and compassion which breathe new life into 
a desolate soul. But what do I perceive"? You remain 
unmoved ; a deep slumber has bound your senses in rest : 
your Lord is upon the rack, and you compose yourself 
to ease — shameful and untimely repose ! How painful to 
the heart of Christ ! Deprived of the slender satisfaction he 
sought for, our Saviour returns to his dreary spot of prayer, 
where he groans under the weight of swelling grief. His 
force is spent, his courage exhausted — he grows weak to such 
a degree, that he would most certainly expire, were it not that 
an angel flies from heaven and revives his dying vigour. 
" Then appeared an angel from heaven comforting him." 



ON THE PASSION. 



425 



How different is the situation of Jesus in the desert of Sinai 
and in the wilderness, from what it is in the garden ! There 
he appeared in all the pomp and majesty of a God ; if his 
angels throng around him, it is to serve him with all the 
obsequiousness due to the great Master of the universe — here 
he is sunk so low as to want the care and succour of those 
ministering spirits. But what will not his love for man reduce 
him to 1 

After this celestial visit, Jesus Christ, it is true, recovers 
his accustomed strength. But will his condition be the more 
comfortable ? No ; new scenes of woe succeed each other ; of 
woes more heavy by their perfect opposition. From this 
oppressive weakness, a new storm assails his heart, and 
awakens all his fears. The bitter chalice he is shortly to 
drink off to the last drop, is painted in his fancy in the 
brightest colours — the death of the cross — the cruel, igno- 
minious death of the cross — there, there is what awakens 
all his apprehensions and sharpens all his fears ! Whenever 
he views the dismal prospect his blood chills within his veins. 
The God of all majesty debased by the vilest creatures ; the 
Source of all power, all grandeur, subjected to contemptible 
slaves ; the Author of life dying between two guilty robbers, 
with all the appearance of their guilt — what terrors must have 
hung upon that thought ! J esus Christ himself is terrified — 
he trembles ; he swoons ; he falls again upon the ground : 
" he fell upon his face." His fears now overpower his huma- 
nity ; he perspires blood at every limb, at every pore ; he falls 
and agonizes in convulsive pains, "being in an agony." I 
cannot explain, nor was it given to man to conceive, much 
less explain, how much our Saviour suffered from those 
struggles of nature. Some faint glimmerings let us merely 
catch from his words — pressed by the immensity of those 
inward pains, more cruel than those outward pains that 
follow, he cries out to his Eternal Father — Thou seest this 
multitude of woes that surround me on every side — on thee 
depends the disposition of all things ; avert this dreadful storm 
that is ready to burst upon my head — "Father, if it be 
possible, let this chalice pass from me :" this bitter chalice of 
my passion ; this chalice overflowing with complicated woes. 
Do you, my brethren, perceive all the energy and force of 
these expressions'? That same Jesus who, a few moments 
before, longed for the approach of his passion — " With desire 
I have desired to eat this pasch with you ;" that same Jesus 
who so often spoke with delight of his future passion ; that 
same Jesus, I say, who shortly before so generously devoted 



426 



SERMON XVII. 



himself to all the rigours of his passion — behold him now, 
through the excess of anguish, requesting, and requesting 
most earnestly, to be exempted from his passion : " Let this 
chalice pass from me." Eternal Father ! whose paternal eye 
beholds, and who in mercy consoles the well-earned sufferings 
of sinful man, do thou hear the prayer of my Saviour ! ' He 
calls, he invokes thee to pass away the chalice — hear thou, 
and pass it away. It is a God that calls — thy second self that 
requests ! 

But what have I said 1 O let me recall those inconsiderate 
wishes. The affliction of our Saviour is excessive, it is true, 
but necessary for our salvation. This he knows full well, and 
by all this reluctance intends no more than to show his incom- 
prehensible charity. For now his resolution and strength 
collect and rise above all the opposition of nature ; and now 
with serenity he accepts that chalice, so frightful and so long 
refused : " Not my will, but thine, be done." O Father ! I 
reflect no longer on the severity of my destiny — by my blood 
man is to be redeemed and restored to his forfeited happi- 
ness — in this view the cross smiles before me, and fills my soul 
with delight : " Not my will, but thine, be done." 

Illustrious goodness and charity of our Saviour, to subject 
himself in this manner to all the rigours of the most cruel 
death ! In the various incidents and trials of life, is it thus 
you behave, my friends 1 With the like religious submission 
do you receive all the crosses that Providence daily lays before 
you 1 No ; at the very name of affliction you tremble. You 
murmur at its approach, and once charged with the load, you 
drag it on with impatience, with fury and despair. Is this 
acting the part of a disciple of Christ 1 Is this taking up daily 
your cross, as you are directed in the Gospel, and treading in 
the steps of a crucified God? The Scriptures tell us that 
Jesus Christ himself could not enter into the possession of his 
glory, but by many sufferings and tribulations : "It became 
necessary that Christ should suffer, and thus to enter into the 
glory of God." Do not you know, at least you should know, 
that you never can partake of this same glory, but by con- 
forming with Jesus Christ, the divine model of all the elect : 
" Making yourselves conformable to the image of his Son." 
Your grievances, each one says, are so great, that they are in- 
tolerable. My brethren, can they be compared with the cross 
of our Redeemer % The effort he makes to receive it from his 
Father's hands, is so violent, that his blood, forcibly com- 
pressed within his veins, shoots out through every limb, and 
bedews the ground he is stretched on : " And his sweat became 



ON THE PASSION. 



427 



as drops of blood trickling upon the ground." Come, now, and 
contemplate one moment your Saviour and your God lying on 
the cold earth in this condition, without motion, without 
vigour, all covered with blood ! 

A God suffers and bleeds the very moment he takes our 
sins upon him. How great an evil, then, must sin be, since 
it cannot be atoned for otherwise than by the sufferings of a 
God ! Surely it must be that great evil mentioned by the 
Holy Ghost; that "grand evil;" an evil so far superior to all 
other evils upon earth, that they cannot even be compared : 
for those things generally counted evils — dishonour, paiD, 
poverty, sickness, misery, destruction, are limited in their 
nature, and confined to man alone ; but sin soars above all 
nature, and strikes at the very Divinity. This grand evil, 
mysterious and incomprehensible, becomes plain and intelli- 
gible by one view of Jesus in the garden ; and this sad view is 
more eloquent than all the expressions of men or angels. A 
God suffers the very moment he takes our sins upon him. — 
How great, then, must that aversion be which God bears unto 
sin, since he choses to see his only begotten Son a victim to 
the severest torments, rather than leave sin unpunished ! 
What punishments, what torments, then, have we just cause to 
fear, from the numerous sins we daily commit ! If " the green 
and living stock," which is Christ, is treated with so much 
severity, what will become of " the withered, useless branches'?" 
Guilty as we all are, what mighty reasons then to apprehend 
the heaviest strokes of divine vengeance — all the effusions of 
the wrath of heaven ! A God suffers the very moment he 
takes our sins upon him — how great, then, should be our 
sorrow for those sins which made our Saviour suffer ? Should 
it not equal the sorrow of the innocent Jesus, which is com- 
pared by the prophet to a great sea % " Thy sorrow is like 
unto a vast, unbounded ocean." Should we not cry out with 
David : " Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of 
tears to my eyes, that night and day I may bewail" the wicked- 
ness of my sinful life'? Should we not protest with the 
penitent king of Israel, that henceforth our chief occupation 
shall be, in the bitterness of our hearts, to ruminate over the 
multiplied crimes that stain our sinful days 1 Should not 
those crimes that press on J esus in the garden, and cover him 
with blood, make us cry out with the famed publican of the 
Gospel, I have sinned, O my God ! but what sin is, I now only 
know from the sorrows of my Lord in the garden — look on me 
with eyes of mercy ; behold him, and " be propitious unto me 
a sinner L" 



428 



SERMON XVII. 



Far from entertaining these Christian like sentiments, we 
generally look upon the sufferings of Christ, and our sins, the 
only cause of his sufferings, without the utmost indifference — a 
cold and languid indifference, bordering on obduracy. But if 
no feeling remains for our sins, or for our Jesus suffering for 
them — come and deplore our want of feeling. A juster cause 
never claimed a tear — insensibility for the sufferings of a God, 
who engages to atone for all our sins, approaches that hardness 
which leads directly to perdition. Your God suffers and bleeds 
the very moment he takes your sins upon him, with no other 
motive than to procure your eternal happiness. What return 
does such generous love deserve % Should a man shelter us at 
a considerable expense from some impending misfortune — 
should he save our lives at the expense of his own — words 
would be inadequate to express our gratitude. But still 
greater are the benefits which flow from our Saviour, who 
undertakes, by the most cruel death of the cross, not only to 
deliver us from the burning flames of hell, but to place us for 
ever in his heavenly mansions. Illustrious love of my God ! 
Illustrious charity ! In silence let us admire it ; and after a 
momentary pause, we shall behold Jesus Christ now charged 
with our sins in the Garden of Gethsemani — now atoning for 
them in the different tribunals. 

Second — As different sins had reigned, and were to reign 
among men in after ages, so Jesus Christ in his passion 
subjects himself to different torments. Let us not undertake 
to enumerate them. The task were impracticable. We can 
only touch upon the most remarkable among them, which may 
be reduced to the infidelity of his disciples, the outrages of 
the Jews, and the cruelty of his executioners. Those are the 
heavy strokes that are to fall successively on this heavenly 
victim, and prepare it for its approaching end. 

What barbarous hand is to open the second scene of the 
passi3n of Christ 1 So odious a design is undoubtedly re- 
served for one of his most cruel enemies — No : reproach of 
mankind — one honoured with his friendship, entrusted with 
his secrets, admitted to a share in his functions, a friend, a 
confidant, an apostle is the first to betray his heavenly 
master! Already the black design, the infernal scheme is 
concerted. See him at the head of a troop of soldiers, march- 
ing into the garden — depravedly resolute, he approaches our 
Saviour and embraces him : this was the sign to make him 
known. Perfidious man, is it thus you behave towards your 
generous master 1 What fury burns within your breast ? 
Declare what injuries you have received at his hands. On his 



ON THE PASSION. 



-129 



side, I perceive nothing but love and friendship — are these the 
wrongs that forced you to conspire his ruin 1 Stop, Judas, 
stop, and consider awhile your odious project — 'tis your God 
and your Saviour you are going to give up into the hands 
of his most cruel enemies. See, what goodness shines in his 
countenance ! Knowing your intention, he still calls you 
by the tender name of friend — should not this tender 
word melt you into compassion ? But your relentless heart is 
hardened in its iniquity. Who is there among you but is filled, 
with me, with indignant anger at the recital of this fact % This 
anger is highly laudable I own ; but should it not be turned 
entirely against ourselves 1 United to Jesus Christ by the 
firmest ties, and bound by the most solemn protestations of in- 
violable fidelity, how often have we betrayed his interest. 
Reflect a while, and blush to see it ! 

From the shameful view of our own perfidies let us return 
to Jesus Christ. Soon as the soldiers distinguish him, they 
rudely rush, seize upon his person, bind him in chains, and 
violently drag him along to the high priest, to be judged 
according to the formality of the laws. Most dear and 
honoured friends of Christ, apostles ! ye highly honoured, 
bosom friends of your Lord, who from being eye-witnesses 
of his public life, of his actions, miracles, instructions and 
benefits to mankind, can vindicate him from all calumnies, 
come and prove your fidelity to your dear Lord ; come, quickly, 
come, and vindicate his name — your united testimonies will 
clear him from the false aspersions of his cruel foes. Appear 
quickly! — alas! "his disciples leaving him all fled away.' ; 
All fled away ! Where is now that noble resolution, you, Peter, 
and all the rest, some time ago expressed, when you protested 
you were ready to die in his defence % You now abandon him 
on the first view of danger. But I mistake : my feelings at 
the flight of ten of his apostles, made me include all. One, 
more faithful than the rest, keeps our Saviour in view : 
" Peter followed him afar off, even into the court of the High 
Priest." Surely his presence will be most agreeable to our 
Saviour and efface the memory of his companions' desertion. 
It were natural to think so, but the contrary will soon appear. 
Peter follows our Saviour, but he follows him only from afar. 
He loves Jesus Christ ; but his love is not proof against any 
considerable danger. So weak a flame cannot long subsist ; 
one moment and it expires. A maid servant comes, and look- 
ing on the apostle, says : " Thou also wast with Jesus of 
Nazareth. But he denied, saying : I neither know nor under- 
stand what thou sayest." Ah ! Peter, Peter : was it to dis- 



430 



SERMON XVII. 



honour your Master in a more public manner, that you 
followed him hither too 1 Could this wound be given to the 
sacred heart of Jesus by none but his companion on Mount 
Thabor 1 "Why did you not run down the stream that hurried 
away your fellow-companions? Your apostasy then would 
have been concealed, and consequently less shameful to your 
Master. 

This infidelity of Peter must have been the more afflicting 
to our Saviour, because on Peter he had founded his Church 
in preference to all the others, and specially distinguished him 
by a sight of his glorified body. This infidelity of Peter appears 
the more black from the slightness of the cause that produced 
it — only a servant maid, a woman armed neither with power, 
nor weapon, nor terror, asks a simple question, and behold, 
rank perfidy follows — deliberately and systematically he answers 
again and again, I know him not : " Then he began to curse 
and to swear that he knew not the man," Heart of my Jesus, 
speak your feelings by your looks : " and the Lord turning, 
looked on Peter !" 

What gloomy thoughts arise; what bitter remembrance is 
revived in the mind, on considering this infidelity of Peter t 
Our unhappy countrymen, our brethren and friends daily deny 
and renounce their God, in renouncing their faith : that faith 
planted by Jesus Christ, transmitted from the apostles by a 
regular succession of ministers unto us ; and which same faith 
we proclaim unto you. But you should recall to your remem- 
brance also the whole tenor of your own lives ; those lives com- 
posed of vice and error, whereby you often renounced your 
God in fact and reality, as blessed Paul declares, " denying 
him by facts," or deeds. So far are we all upon a level with 
Peter. But shall we be like him for the remainder of onr lives'? 
The look of Jesus piercing his heart, "going out he wept 
bitterly." This contrition so perfect in its origin, far from dimi- 
nishing, increased by time ; for, sacred history says, his vener- 
able face was farrowed by the streams of tears that daily flowed 
from his eyes. As we followed and exceeded Peter by our 
crimes, let us follow him in bewailing them all the days of our 
lives. Let us lament and call for mercy to our merciful God, 
and he will forgive as he forgave Peter. 

The sport of the Jewish rabble in the hall of the High 
Priest, our Saviour remained that whole night. What jibes, 
and taunts, and scoffs what indignities he endured that night, 
are only recorded in the chancery of heaven ! A. glimpse only 
is handed to us. The rabble that night " mocked him : and 
struck him : and they blindfolded him, and smote his face, 



ON THE PASSION. 



431 



and blasphemed him," and a thousand ways abused him. 
Next morning he is dragged to, and arraigned before the 
Jewish Sanhedrim. Behold here the inversion of all order — 
the just summoned before the tribunal of injustice — innocence 
accused — and the sovereign Judge of heaven and earth 
arraigned by prejudiced and guilty men. How looks this 
show of justice compared with that solemn Court which will 
be held when closing time shall put an end to the universe ! — 
There all nations of the earth shall stand before Jesus 
Christ, to receive from his divine lips the irrevocable decree 
of their eternal destiny. Here this same Jesus, divested 
of all his power and grandeur, bending under the weight 
of indignities and humiliations, appears like a felon before 
a mortal and corrupted judge. Equity and truth shall 
there preside— here falsehood and injustice bear the sway. 
There a beam of light shot from the radiant cross shall dis- 
close before the whole world the guilt of reproved sinners — 
here the darkest plots are employed to overshade the brightest 
innocence. In the first step of their proceeding, witnesses are 
suborned to swear away our Saviour's life. Some accuse him 
of disturbing the people, and scattering everywhere the seeds 
of sedition. Others impeach him with a design of subverting 
the whole power of the government, and fixing himself upon 
the throne. Others, in a word, charge him wi:h impiety, for 
having said that in three days he would demolish the Temple 
and build it up again. Because Jesus Christ had preached 
throughout all Judea the words of life, now he is traduced as 
a public disturber — because Jesus Christ had declared the 
kingdom of heaven was arrived, now he is traduced as an am- 
bitious usurper — because Jesus Christ had foretold he would 
destroy and revive his body, the living temple of his soul, now 
he is traduced as an impious and sacrilegious man. In fine 
nothing is left untried. Though the flat contradictions of their 
testimonies belie each other — yet all this is overlooked by the 
malice of his enemies. 

Are you not astonished, my brethren, to behold injustice 
carried so far % Far more astonishing is the conduct of our 
Saviour, amidst this storm of injustice. To those furious as- 
saults of the Jews what does he oppose 1 what defence does he 
make 1 Incredible, indeed ! were it not recorded in the holy 
Scriptures — silence and silence alone. Speak, sweet J esus ! 
speak — one word will show your spotless virtue and the ini- 
quity of your enemies. Expose their hatred, their calumnies, 
their contrivances, their incoherent accusations. Still is Jesus 
silent. This mysterious silence, what doth it mean 1 Surely 



432 



SERMON XVII. 



our Saviour intended thereby to teach us a great lesson of 
morality, and reprove our over-warm sensibility, which makes 
us blaze at the approach of an injury. If honour is attacked, 
or reputation blasted, or either tarnished, immediately we 
break out into murmurs, imprecations, and bitter invectives. 
A God calumniated, reviled, and abused, lays aside all vindi- 
cations, even murmur, that last sad relief of the forlorn and 
afflicted ; and shall guilty man undertake to vindicate himself 
by the most violent and unlawful means 1 "No : let envy and 
malice load me with the most infamous aspersions, my only 
resource shal] be, where justice cannot take place, to bear my 
wrongs in a religious and submissive silence. This is the great 
duty our Saviour points out whilst he stands silent amidst his 
accusers. On this great example let us often dwell — an exam- 
ple no less instructive to the Christian than astonishing to the 
Jew. 

Justly astonished at this uncommon silence of our Saviour, 
they conjure him at length, in the name of the living God, to 
declare what he is : " If thou be the Christ tell us. And he 
said unto them; If I shall tell you, you will not believe me; and 
if I shall also ask you, you will not answer me, nor let me go : 
but hereafter the Son of Man shall be sitting on the right hand 
of the power of God." This meek and moderate answer, far 
from satisfying, only exasperates his enemies, for " one of the 
servants, standing by, gave Jesus a blow on the face." 

In days of yore when insult had been offered to one of the 
prophets, a mere man, by one of the kings of Israel, the royal 
hand stretched out to offer this insult immediately withered. 
Assert thy own dignity, O Lord, and overwhelm thy enemies 
with one of those dreadful looks which unhinge the frame of 
conscious nature ! Perish, at least, that sacrilegious hand ! 
No : the God of power is all mildness and charity — "If I have 
spoken evil, give testimony of the evil : but if well, why strikest 
thou me 1 " Come, now, my angry, vindictive friends ; come 
and learn from Jesus Christ how to bear, how to wipe off" the 
stain of an affront. He is God, he is dishonoured, insulted, 
affronted ; he has the power, the right to revenge, and still he 
revenges not. Learn wisdom now, my injured brethren, from 
this sublime example. Repress vindictive anger, banish re- 
sentment, and never let it die in the ruin or in the blood of 
your neighbour. Learn, I say, for it is a God that instructs ; 
and a God who is going to die for the love of you. Remem- 
ber the stroke of enmity cannot reach your neighbour without 
passing first through the heart of Jesus ; and will you add to 
his woes and sufferings'? Leave so foul a deed to theunpitying 



ON THE PASSION. 



433 



-Jews. As for you, my brethren, assume more Christian senti- 
ments. Show some feeling for the pains of Christ. Come 
and lay down generously at his feet all your wrongs and 
animosities. Offer them all as a holocaust of love for love. 
But should you still persist in your destructive projects, know 
then you renounce all share in the merits of your Redeemer ; 
know the ruin you now meditate — the blood you now thirst 
for, will one clay fall upon you in floods of calamity ; know 
that this God who now requests, will then command — but 
command as the inexorable avenger of your humanity ! 

The cruelty of the Jews is not satisfied with insults. They 
aim at nothing less than the death of Jesus Christ. Already 
they pronounce him guilty ; but as the Roman power had 
some time before extended its arms over the kingdom of 
Judea, and like other kingdoms reduced it to a province, 
criminal jurisdiction was consequently removed from the 
Jews to the Roman governor, who was then Pontius Pilate. 
Before him they drag this victim of woe — here they heap up 
accusations upon charges, and charges upon accusations. They 
are examined, weighed, witnesses heard, the actions of Jesus 
Christ examined with the utmost minuteness, and no charge 
escapes a close inquiry. After all those pains, " Pilate said, 
I find no cause, no crime, in this man." Justice at length 
takes place. The innocent is acquitted. Unbind him, then, 
from his disgraceful manacles, and let my Jesus enjoy sweet 
liberty and peace. Stop ! infernal policy usurps the seat of 
justice, and Pilate, to serve his worldly views, will at once 
sacrifice the innocent and his innocence. During the trial, 
hearing that Jesus had lived in Galilee, immediately " he sent 
him away to Herod," the Tetrarch or Governor of Galilee, 
" who was also himself at Jerusalem in those days," cele- 
brating the Passover. Base and criminal policy ! but the 
world abounds in it. Do we not daily behold Christians 
squaring their lives by the principles of Pilate 1 To promote 
private interest they abandon, even trample on virtue, and 
basely fawn upon an odious oppressor. Bound in duty to protect 
the good and punish the wicked — if their fortune or ambition 
demand it, they no longer distinguish between virtue and vice; 
or distinguish them only to pass over the one and smile on the 
other, which should meet the severest frown. Abominable, 
infernal policy, how hateful to view ! And yet to this policy 
thousands upon thousands of our fellow-creatures have been 
sacrificed. To this infernal policy is Christ, already acquitted, 
again exposed to lose his life — still dragged with ignominy by 
his enemies from post to pillar, from Pilate to Herod. Let our 



434 



SERMON XVII. 



pious reflections attend him. The wonders reported of Jesus 
Christ throughout all Judea, raised a great desire in Herod of 
seeing a man so powerful in words and actions — expecting to 
behold performed in their presence one of those miracles that 
filled the world with wonder, this prince and his court crowd 
around this victim of sorrow. Sudden joy flashes in their 
countenances, to see the man so famous everywhere, and they 
prepared themselves for great delight and entertainment. 
Their rude and greedy looks search in his person for something 
extraordinary, and discover nothing but meekness and sim- 
plicity. Herod " questioned him in many words ; but Christ 
answered him nothing — and Herod, with his army, set him at 
nought." Construing the silence of our Lord into contempt, 
they despise him whom they expected to behold a wonder- 
working man. And they abused him, " and mocked him, 
putting on him a white garment, and sent him back to Pilate." 
Profane world, how perverse are thy ways ! The Author of all 
truth is before you, and you cannot discern him ; the 
Author of all goodness, and you revile him ; the Source of 
all grandeur, and you insult him ! Profane world, to court 
your approbation, what folly ! — for your approbation never rests 
but upon vice and vanity. To please thee, my God, and to 
please thee alone, shall henceforward be the only spring of my 
ambition. Let the world ridicule me with jeers, and pursue 
me with bitter taunts; its taunts and jeers shall never 
influence me again to swerve from thy service, because one 
glance of thy approbation is more than sufficient to repay all 
the malignant censures of the world. My suffering brethren, 
you who have become despised because of your unshaken and 
firm adherence to the religion of your forefathers — who by 
your fidelity to your God are cut off from the temporal 
blessings of a happy constitution, and made exiles in the land 
that gave you birth, could you expect, or could you even wish 
to be treated otherwise than our Saviour was by the impious 
court of Herod 1 

Revenge is now abroad, and Jesus Christ is ordered back to 
the court of Pilate : immediately the mob assemble, and 
children flock around, not to rend the skies with hosannas to 
the Son of David, as they did on his triumphant entry into 
the capital of Judea, but to load him with insult — to lead in 
cruel scorn the Lamb of God through the streets of Jerusalem! 
There every eye is fixed, every finger pointed, and every mouth 
vomiting invectives, reproaches, or curses. General ridicule, 
public laughter or universal hatred pursue and follow him. 
And art thou, my God ! become the contempt of man ! Tho 



ON THE PASSION. 



435 



greatest delinquents, when become public spectacles, meet some 
pity even in the heart of an enemy ; but here no pity, no feel- 
ing, no mercy. O God ! what art thou reduced to 1 " I am a 
worm, and not a man." These were his complaints by the 
royal prophet ; but these public confusions are only the open- 
ing scenes to bis passion. 

Already he appears a second time before Pilate, from whom 
he soon will hear his doom. This unworthy magistrate had 
before betrayed his duty, in exposing the innocence of our 
Saviour to the event of an uncertain judgment. He will now 
betray it a second time, and seal his guilt in the blood of the 
innocent. His resolute soul still fluctuates. The attested 
innocence of Christ ; the divine placidity of his countenance ; 
the wisdom and meekness of his words ; the admonitions of his 
wife, who forbade him to interfere in the cause of a man, whom 
she knew, by mystic dreams, to be something more than 
mortal ; all these perplex and tease him with various doubts. 
The manifest injustice of condemning innocence stares him on 
one side ; on the other the clamours of the mob frighten him 
— he would wish to save Christ without prejudice to his 
interest; but if interest interferes, Christ must go ! "What 
accusation bring you against this man % Upon this question 
of Pilate, the brooding tumult among the rabble Jews burst 
forth, and all becomes a ferment. To allay the ferment, this 
temporising judge devises new plans. Barabbas, a notorious 
malefactor, was in custody for sedition and murder. Old 
custom gave a right to the Jews to release at Easter any one 
prisoner or criminal they chose. Now by ranking Jesus with 
Barabbas, and proposing them together as criminals for a choice 
on whom the act of grace might rest, he supposed their fury 
would cool, and that pity would protect our Saviour : " Whether 
will you of the two to be released unto you ¥' Humiliations of 
my God ! when will you end? Unworthy judge, what could 
induce you so to dishonour my Saviour as to rank him with a 
vile and infamous malefactor % What could be more unjust 
than this ? Nothing but the conduct of the Jews, who gave 
the preference to Barabbas. In the general uproar is there no 
one voice heard to console the heart of Jesus with a preference 1 
No ; " The whole multitude cried out, saying : away with this 
man, and release unto us Barabbas." Barabbas the murderer 
preferred to Jesus Christ ! yes ; the slave is preferred to the 
master — the creature to the creator — consummate guilt to 
perfect innocence ! No longer are remembered the great bles- 
sings that overspread Judea by the preaching and the miracles 
of this man-God. No longer is sanctity a protection from 



436 



SERMON XVI ; 



criminality, or innocence from condemnation. Away with 
sanctity and innocence — away with morality and virtue — 
" away with this man," and let robbery, treason, and murder 
be defied : " Release unto us Barabbas." 

No doubt, my brethren, you feel, with me, great horror at 
this scene of our Saviour's passion — but the baseness and in- 
gratitude which here mark the Jews are daily visible in our 
own conduct. As often as we prefer to the laws of God, to the 
maxims of the Gospel, our ambition, our interest, our vanities 
or pleasures, so often do we prefer Barabbas to Jesus Christ ! 
The Jews, blind and precipitate in their fury, flattered them- 
selves with pleading the cause of zeal and virtue against sedi- 
tion and imposture ; but Ave, in violating the law of nature, 
written in the heart, as well as the law of grace, give a prefer- 
ence to Barabb is and reject our God with a full conviction of 
his sanctity, grandeur, power and divinity ; and of the right he 
has to reign over our minds and hearts — minds and hearts which 
become degraded and dishonoured when subject to the empire, 
to the lawless domination of unruly passions ! 

Pilate now conceives and executes new plans. "I will 
chastise him," he says, I will exhibit him a spectacle of hor- 
ror, " and let him go." Accordingly these orders are given 
without limit or restriction, and without restriction or limit 
are they executed. From the tribunal to the court-yard is 
our Saviour led: there stripped and bound to a pillar. A 
band of soldiers are provided with whips furnished with knots 
as used in military punishment ; their rage arms them with 
double strength, and they lay on the sacred body of J esus ! 
In the infliction of chastisement, the law certainly meant 
both restriction and moderation ; but in the sufferings of our 
Saviour, moderation is a term without a meaning — all is 
excessive — all is terrible. To the severity of the law, the 
executioners add their own inhumanity, inflamed by hatred. 
Every blow inflicts a wound. They lash, and tear, and mangle 
his body - his blood and flesh fly in quantities all around, 
his torn body, the piteous look, the meekness of our Saviour, 
instead of pity, create joy in those barbarous men. Their 
orders came unqualified, and vengeance shall drink deep in his 
blood, whereof every drop must drain in agony and torture. 
The sacred body of Christ is now all over one wound. Having 
endured greater torment than ever came or will ever come to 
the Tot of man to endure, he is loosened from the pillar — but, 
Lord God, what a spectacle of woe ! Who gave Samson 
sinews to mow down his enemies like grass, to tear asunder 
like flax the cords and fetters he was bound by, and made his 



ON THE PASSION. 



437 



strength, superior to the lion, and to iron bars and massy- 
bolts — this God of Samson is now lowly, and reduced to a 
spectacle of woe ! To what mighty cause is owing this pros- 
tration of power, this abjection of innocence 1 To the inbred 
cruelty of the band of ruffians'? No. To the profligacy of 
Pilate the Roman governor 1 No ; but to your sins, my 
brethren, and to mine ! 

Jesus Christ at the pillar has suffered for all the carnal 
sins of mankind. The criminal indulgence of appetite, the 
lawless gratification of impure desire, of animal sensuality, 
the pride and pomp of dress, and all the evils that follow in 
their train ; these are the rods that lash and tear his body ; 
these are the sins which he beseeches you from the pillar 
to refrain from committing ; for by every sin of the flesh we 
commit, so often do we raise the lash and strike the sacred 
body of Christ. 

New scenes of woe now thicken before us. Horror 
multiplies on horror, and cruelty becomes refined by barbarous 
invention. His head, the seat of his blessed soul and of his 
Divinity, must bleed. For this purpose a cluster of thorny 
briars are picked up, and platted and pressed around his 
temples. Every thorn ploughs its way and opens a fresh 
wound ; and all dripping from head to foot in wounds and 
blood, " they put a scarlet cloak about him — and a reed in his 
right hand. And bowing the knee before him, they mocked 
him, saying : Hail, King of the Jews. And spitting upon him, 
they took the reed and struck his head." 

As in the garden our Saviour called forth a miracle to 
support the agony which his love for man brought on him 
there, so in Pilate's court a second miracle became necessary 
to bear the tortures and the ignominy of those infernal agents. 
What new sin, my Saviour ! have you left unexpiated at the 
pillar'? To what mysterious cause is a crown of glory 
removed to make way for your crown of thorns'? Our 
abominable pride has platted and fixed his crown of thorns 
— that unsubdued pride which makes us rebel against divine 
and human laws — that pride which swells the ambitious 
mind, which stifles charity, and make us overleap all the laws 
of justice — this ill-grounded esteem for ourselves, which makes 
us reflect so wrongfully on our neighbour — those flights of 
a licentious fancy, which very often at the foot of the altar, 
during the time of our most tremendous mysteries, are con- 
tinually occupied in gay and airy, if not lascivious images. 
These are the thorns that plough their way into the temples 
of Christ : these are the disorders, which originating in the 



438 



SERMON XVII. 



mind, our Saviour expiates in his sacred head. How far each 
of us has contributed to plant those thorns in the sacred head 
of our Lord, short reflection will show. Our co-operation with 
the Jews is clearly seen by the malice of our sins — our sins 
bound him to a stake : our sins were the thorns that opened a 
thousand wounds in his divine head ! 

Hitherto have his ignominies and his sufferings been con- 
fined chiefly to the rage of his executioners ; but now he 
must become the public sport of the mob. To the derision of 
the mob, to their blasphemies and maledictions is he exhibited 
by Pontius Pilate, in all the degrading attire of mock 
royalty. O ye inhabitants of Jerusalem ! look up : " Behold 
I bring him forth unto you — Behold the man." Is this that 
glorious deliverer foretold by the prophets ; the desire of the 
patriarchs, the expectation of nations 1 Is this that flower of 
the house of Juda, so beautiful to view, on which the angels 
delight to look 1 Is this that victorious monarch whose 
sceptre was to rule the remotest regions of the earth ? Is 
this that immortal king whose empire was to extend beyond 
the narrow limits of time into the unbounded length of 
eternity 1 Can we now descry the least trace of his glory or 
his power 1 ? "Behold the man!" Behold how forlorn and 
oppressed by a mighty weight of woes. How are his glories 
effaced, his power eclipsed ! My God, and my all ! amidst 
this cloud of humiliations, my faith discovers all thy native 
greatness. The shade our sins have cast around thee, serves 
only, in my view, to reflect and heighten the splendour of the 
divinity : for what less than the immense charity of a God 
could bear up against such a load of calamities 1 Ah ! 
could those sentiments be transfused into the hearts of thy 
enemies ! Already they eye him. Their relenting hearts may 
perhaps give way to compassion. Behold, misguided Jews, 
"Behold the man" whom you pursue with so much fury — 
what have you now to fear from him ? Is he not the most 
abject of men? " I am a worm and not a man." But what 
do I hear? Sudden cries, loud and vociferous, not from a 
partial few, but from the whole multitude : " Let him be 
crucified ! let him be crucified ! " What ! spill the blood of 
the innocent ! crucify your Redeemer and your God ! Yes ; 
the sentence is nevertheless signed. Great God ! the victim is 
prepared. A mystic wreath binds his head. Already it has 
been charged with and wounded for our sins ; it remains only 
to see it consumed in expiation of our iniquities. This you 
shall behold in the last scene of his passion. 

Third — Do not expect, my brethren, a distinct detail of 



ON THE PASSION. 



439 



the last sufferings of Christ. Everything henceforth mixes in 
confusion. All the calamities imaginable are now to crowd 
together and rush at once on our Saviour's head. The most 
exquisite torments, the most shocking blasphemies, the most 
outrageous insults shall succeed and renew each other by- 
turns. The nature of the death of Christ, the very place of 
execution, the people who follow him, the soldiers that guard 
him, contribute equally to increase his pain and consummate 
his sacrifice ! Among the eastern nations no death was so 
infamous as that of the cross — on the cross is J esus Christ to 
be nailed. No place about Jerusalem so public as Calvary — 
on Calvary is Jesus Christ to expire. The inscription over his 
head proclaims him a king it is true, but still it offers nothing 
to the eyes of the world but an usurped, a condemned, 
degraded royalty. His numerous guards and the rabble crowd 
increase his infamy and multiply the number of his execu- 
tioners. Behold him labouring up the mountain side with 
tottering steps. Upon his lacerated shoulders he bears his 
weighty cross — overburdened with the load, and destitute of 
strength, he falls at every step. A situation so deplorable, 
capable of moving the most flinty heart, only exasperates his 
executioners, who, regardless of his weakness or the difficulty 
of the up-hill way, drive and goad him up the steep ascent, 
and before he dies, make him suffer a thousand deaths. The 
fatal summit is at length attained. Proceed now, cruel execu- 
tioners, in pity now proceed : glut your rage in the blood of 
the Lamb, Hasten — put this Jesus to death, who came to 
purchase your eternal life. Extend his limbs upon the cross — 
nail those hands and feet which were always employed in 
pouring down the choicest blessings, or in tracing out the 
ways of heaven to the forlorn sons of men. Pierce this heart 
that always bore you the most generous love, that even now 
glows with fervid zeal for your eternal bliss. You have 
nothing to fear from his Omnipotence : the heavens are now of 
brass. That power, on other occasions so dreadful, seems now 
suspended and bound up in sleep in the bosom of charity. 
Well has the prophet Isaias foretold, that he would be led 
like a sheep to slaughter : " Surely he hath borne our infirmi- 
ties and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our iniqui- 
ties, he was bruised for our sins — and shall be dumb as a lamb 
before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth." This 
mysterious weakness became subservient to his grand designs. 
He has undertaken to redeem the world by loading himself 
with all our guilt : he then will suffer and not conquer : he 
chooses to die for the salvation of man, rather than live by his 



440 



SERMON XVII. 



destruction. But lo ! Jesus Christ is fastened to the cross,, 
raised up into the air, and exposed to the view of all 
Jerusalem. 

The comprehension of man is too limited, my brethren, to 
conceive the extent of what our Saviour suffered in this dolo- 
rous moment. In stripping off his garments, his wounds re- 
open and bleed afresh. In piercing his hands and feet the 
nerves are torn and start into most painful convulsions. In 
erecting and pitching the cross, the whole frame of his sacred 
body is so violently shaken, that his extremities are torn and 
split to pieces. If he reclines the head it bears upon thorns, 
which strike more deep into his flesh. If he endeavours to. 
ease one limb he increases the torment of another. This whole 
body — head, hands, and feet are one large aching wound. O 
daughters of Jerusalem ! " O all ye that pass by the way, 
attend and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow." 
(Lam. Jer.) " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me, but 
weep for yourselves and for your children." Weep not for 
Christ ; he desires you ; but weep for and lament those sins 
which inflame the wrath of God and subject you all to his 
terrible anger. Bid a final adieu this day to sin ; when temp- 
tations arise hereafter, when evil suggestions prompt, remem- 
ber Mount Calvary — remember, for it is a fundamental truth 
of our religion, delivered by the great St. Paul — remember, 
that by every mortal sin we renew the sufferings of our 
Lord : — " again crucifying Jesus Christ." When the evil 
spirit, therefore, or his agents on earth, or the depravity of 
your nature instigate to sin, recall at once the torments of 
your Saviour. When pride, or malice, or envy, or ambition 
arises in the mind, remember the crown of thorns, and do not 
strike them into the head of your God, by consenting in any 
way to their suggestions. If custom, heretofore, and bad 
company have formed your tongue to blaspheme or curse that 
adorable name, before whom the pillars of heaven tremble, ah L 
forbear, for the love of your God, and do not stretch up to his 
parching lips the sponge clipped in gall ! Drunkards, come 
this day to the foot of the cross, and console the dying heart 
of Jesus by an holocaust of that baneful vice — break it down 
by temperance and industry, and J esus Christ will die with 
joy in wiping away all your past sins ! Come, liars, detractors, 
calumniators, come and offer to your God the sacrifice of your 
sins, " and great shall you be called in the kingdom of 
heaven ! " O you sensual, carnal men, who breathe only 
animal life, recall the dignity of your nature, burst asunder 
the cords that bind you up in sin, and no longer tear the 



SERMON XVII. 



441 



sacred body of Jesus by your crimes and wickedness. Do not 
join the Jews in their terrible imprecation — " His blood be 
upon us, and upon our children." But know, and let the 
reflection sink deep into your minds, you virtually join the 
Jews in this abominable imprecation, if you sinners do not 
this day forsake your sinful ways, because by every sin you 
renew the Passion of Christ. Let terror then seize you, if the 
love of God is dormant, whenever sin tempts. His uplifted 
arm that spared not Jesus, will it spare you 1 

Mount Calvary alone exhibits the dreadful evil of sin. 
The extreme agonies of our Saviour are augmented by the 
cruel insults, the bitter invectives, the outrageous blasphemies 
of the Jews. Some cry out : " Yah ! thou that destroyest the 
temple of God, and in three days dost rebuild it, save thy own 
self." Others : "If thou be the Son of God, come down from 
the cross." Some again: "He saved others; himself he 
cannot save — if he be the King of Israel, let him now come 
down from the cross and we will believe him ; " whilst others 
said : " He trusted in God • let him now deliver him. " Un- 
happy Jews ! have you forgotten the hosannas wherewith you 
proclaimed him, a few days ago, the blessed messenger of 
heaven 1 ? Has he not often proved his divinity in subjecting 
the seas and the winds to his control ; in curing all manner 
of sickness, infirmity, and pain ; in expelling demons, raising 
the dead, and forgiving sinners 1 And now you call for new 
proofs of his Godhead. Perverse men, behold now new proofs 
— behold that admirable patience which makes him bear, in 
addition to his pains, those insulting reproaches, without even 
a sigh or a groan — behold that warm zeal, which even on the 
cross, makes him still thirst for greater sufferings — behold that 
animated charity, that fervent love for man, which prays and 
interposes even for his very executioners, "Father, forgive 
thorn." Above all, behold that victorious effort of Omnipo- 
tence whch shortly shall deprive the Author of Life of life, 
and the world of its most illustrious ornament. Father, 
Lord Almighty God ! look down now on thy Son — pale and 
damp his face appears — his closing eyes admit no more than 
shadows — his head droops — he moans — he dies. 

The sun withdraws his light — the moon blushes — the earth 
shakes — the veil of the temple is rent in two — the rocks split 
— the monuments burst asunder — the dead arise — all nature 
laments in silent, moving language the death of its great 
Author ! Amidst this universal confusion can the stony heart 
of man alone remain unmoved and repose in peace amidst his 
sins'? It was sin alone that brought Jesus Christ to. Calvary. 



SERMON XVII. 



They bound him, lashed him, abused him, crucified him, and 
will you bind him again, scourge him, abuse and crucify him 
by committing sin any more 1 Methinks I hear you all say 
No ! If any should be unhappy enough not to join in that 
answer, I fear very much they are fallen into an obduracy,, 
that knows no danger, that fears no punishment. 

J esus Christ, God blessed for ever, dies upon the cross — 
for what end 1 To procure our eternal salvation by atoning 
for our sins. Yes, my brethren, it was upon the cross our 
Saviour completed the grand work of our redemption. All 
his other sufferings were relative to this last action, and 
derived from thence all their merit. Upon the cross the 
anger of heaven is appeased, hell subdued, and that sentence 
reversed which was pronounced in heaven, as St. Paul declares, 
against rebellious man. No longer, then, let wild despair 
break forth in hideous shrieks. No longer are the gloomy 
shades of death terrible, since our Saviour by his death has 
opened the gates of heaven : " Lift up your gates, ye princes, 
and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates ; and the king of glory 
shall enter in." Those immortal gates, shut for so many ages, 
are now open by the cross of Christ, for the admission of all 
the spotless, and all the penitent children of Adam. But not- 
withstanding the great blessings which his death draws on the 
world ; notwithstanding the salutary, all-saving streams which 
flow from his sacred wounds, how many souls redeemed by his 
blood will be lost, and lost for ever ! For you and me has our 
Saviour died — for his greatest enemies this day has he extended 
his arms upon the cross. That venerable cross approach this day 
with reverence and love, with humility and sorrow for your 
past sins and true cause of his sufferings. Pour forth your 
heart before him — tell him how great your sorrows are— tell 
him from this day forward you never will offend him more. 
Invoke his mercy, his forgiveness, his blessing. 

Behold the emblem of that adorable Being stretched upon 
the cross. I do not exhibit this image or that wood for the 
purpose of your adoration. A charge so illiberal, so unfounded, 
so false, the Catholic Church revolts against. We adore no- 
thing but God alone. His image we venerate out of respect 
to himself, and to raise by sensible representations more 
animated sentiments of piety. Behold, then, this venerable 
image. Pale and wan his lips appear ; suffused his eyes ; his 
royal head encircled with thorns ; his side pierced, his hands 
and feet transfixed with nails. Why, O my God ! why all 
these wounds 1 why these streams from every limb 1 My sins, 
alas ! and yours — our sins have been his executioners. He 



ON THE PASSION. 



443 



who was supreme in happiness, glorious and immortal by 
nature, came down from all his joys above, in order, by dying 
for us on the cross, to raise us up to heaven. The immensity 
of his love for man strikes me at one view of his cross ; the 
magnitude of that grand evil, sin, strikes me also — but my 
abominable ingratitude and wickedness in committing sin, 
and thereby crucifying my God, oppress my soul with unutter- 
able woe. If my detestable pride, O my God, my evil designs, 
and wicked projects have wreathed your royal head with 
thorns ; if my intemperance, sensuality, and vanity have torn 
you at the pillar ; if my drunkenness, lies, calumnies, slanders, 
curses, and blasphemies have ministered unto you gall and 
vinegar ; if my immoralities, profanations, oppressions, and 
criminal doings have nailed you on the cross, receive those heart- 
felt sorrows I now feel, in union with your passion ! Depart 
from me, henceforth, O sin, and let your holy grace aid me. 
my Saviour, for you know my weakness is excessive. I will 
from this moment, die to my sins for the love of you who died 
on the cross for the love of me. I beseech you by your 
precious wounds, to strengthen these our resolutions. Shed 
down the influence of those celestial gifts, which will support 
us amidst the combats of this uncertain life. A sudden 
light beams in upon me. Methinks I hear the prophet say : 
"You shall draw waters in joy from the fountains of your 
Saviour." Where ? — In the kingdom of heaven. Amen, 
sweet J esus ! 



THE END.' 



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